What Goes Around Comes Around
by EvnStar
Summary: Sarah is now 21 and trying as hard as she can to forget about the labyrinth, but Jareth isn't giving up that easily...
1. Home, home again

Disclaimer: I do not own Labyrinth or any of it's characters, I just like to borrow them from time to time ; )

_Ch.1) Home, home again_

It was a perfect autumn day. There was a warm glow to the air, but the wind was cool and crisp. Sarah hardly noticed, as her old green Taurus whipped around the curves of the highway. She was speeding with the windows down and the music loud. She mentally scolded herself, but continued to speed. She hadn't been home since the beginning of school, and was anxious to see her family.

Sarah's excitement continued to grow the closer she got to home. Nostalgically breathing in the heavy scent of fall, she thought about her plans for the weekend. Halloween was on Saturday, which meant she would be taking Toby out trick or treating. She looked forward to spending time with her little brother, but she also wanted to make time for Karen, whom she had grown very close to over the last few years.

After the labyrinth, Sarah gained a lot of perspective, and even though she hated to admit it, she had been very unfair to Karen. When she finally managed to let go of her fantasies, particularly the ones where her mother Linda rescued her from her 'horrible life', she saw the difference between the two women; Karen was caring and thoughtful, while Linda rarely remembered Sarah's birthday and was unreachable most of the time. These realizations helped Sarah to grow up and value the people who were in her life. Things at home were finally good, even if she didn't return so often anymore.

Thinking on all of this, Sarah couldn't help but sigh. She was ridiculously busy most of the time, but this weekend she desperately needed a break from school. It was her senior year of college, and as a creative writing student at the University, she was exhausted from trying to finish up her degree. After Sarah had moved away from her dream of acting, she found that she had a talent for writing. The labyrinth inspired her, but she would never actually write about him or his domain; all she wanted to do was forget him. She turned her thoughts as far away from that place as she could, and even farther from him.

Sadly, that also meant that Sarah's connection to her friends from the labyrinth had dwindled. She hadn't talked to Hoggle, Sir Didymus, or Ludo for nearly three years. As a young teenager, she had really needed them for support, but now she was older and so much more independent. Being that she was so busy, and privacy was scarce, Sarah rarely even thought of them anymore. It made her feel guilty, but she knew they would understand.

Sighing once again, Sarah thought of the other reason she needed to get away from school. Her relationship of two years had just ended, and it was hitting her a little harder than she cared to admit. She and Chris had been very close. She wasn't sure if she had ever loved him or not, but it felt like she was losing her best friend. Out of seemingly nowhere he started acting weird and distant, and then just a week ago he had broken it off saying they had grown apart. Although Sarah was upset, she couldn't bring herself to cry about it. She supposed it was because in a way, they really were more like friends than a couple.

Brushing these thoughts off, Sarah tried not to focus on the negative. She turned all her attention to the road and her music, and soon enough a smile began to form at the corners of her mouth. Putting her turn signal on, Sarah moved over a lane and got off at her exit. Chris was now far from her mind and soon to be forgotten. Thinking over her plans once more, Sarah realized that she still didn't have a Halloween costume. She was sure Toby would nag her until she found one; that made her smile spread even further.

Once Sarah turned down her street, the familiarity of home began to sweep over her, and she felt at peace. Sadly enough, this feeling would not last much longer. When her house came into view, she immediately spotted a figure playing in the yard, 'Toby,' she thought eagerly. She was only a short distance away when movement near the road caught her eye. There was definitely something peeking out at her in the nearby bush. Slowing down as she neared it, she thought with apprehension that the last thing she needed was to run over someone's cat or dog. As her car neared the bush, the creature stepped out and revealed itself. It wasn't a cat at all, but Hoggle!


	2. Agitating news

_Ch.2) Agitating News _

Sarah slammed on her brakes hard; hard enough that her tires squealed and her body was flung violently forward. The sight of her old friend after all this time on a quiet suburban street had quite startled her. With a little apprehension, Sarah put her car in park, and clicked off the radio. She checked the rear view mirror to see if he really was standing there. Indeed he was, and his stubby little legs were carrying him over to the car as quickly as they could. Her brow knitted in contemplation. Why had he come to her like this? If he wanted to talk, her room was a much safer meeting place.

She didn't know what to think, but figured there was probably something important going on to receive his visit in this manner. Leaning over the passenger's seat, Sarah opened the door to her car. Upon inspecting her friend, she could tell that Hoggle was very uneasy. He crawled into the vehicle with the utmost caution, and noting his agitation, Sarah began with some concern:

"Hoggle, what are you doing here?"

"Sorry to bother ya Sarah, but I had to warn ya." He whispered nervously. His eyes hardly settled on her at all, but instead darted around as though he was expecting a bomb to drop at any moment.

Before she could say anything, he took her hand in his and placed a folded note in her palm. Closing her fingers over it, he continued, "I don't have much time, but I came to give you this. Everything's explained in the note."

Hoggle continued to look around fearfully; his edginess was making Sarah just as nervous as he was.

"Hoggle…" She started, but before she could get any more out he interrupted her.

"I'm sorry Sarah, I have ta go before he finds out I'm here. Just read the note." And with that, he vanished.

Sarah jumped at his sudden removal. Even though Jareth had done the same thing to her, she just couldn't get used to seeing someone vanish into thin air. Releasing the breath she had been holding in, she groaned and rested her forehead on the steering wheel. She sat there in silence letting all that had happened wash over her. Her car door still hung open like an unanswered question, but Sarah couldn't bring herself to move just yet. Her train of thought and the thick silence of the car were broken however, by the sound of Toby squealing her name with great excitement.

"Sarah!" He said as he ran up to her car holding a big purple ball.

Quickly stashing her note in the pocket of her jacket, Sarah put aside all that had happened. She wanted to seem as normal as possible; she could deal with the note and its contents later.

"Hey Tobe!" She said with a big smile and a light laugh.

He crawled into the car, much as Hoggle had and put the ball in his lap. He was eight years old, but he was still as affectionate toward his sister as he ever had been. Before long, a woman came running down the street screaming his name.

"Toby! How many times do I have to tell you to stay in the yard?" She shouted with motherly concern as she approached the car.

"Relax Mom, Sarah was right here." He said rolling his eyes.

Peering into the vehicle, she flashed a smile at Sarah, and a scowl at Toby.

"Hi Karen," Sarah said, giggling a little.

Karen's frown dissipated a little. "Hello Sarah. How was your trip?"

"Not too bad." She responded casually.

"Well, I'll have to catch up with you later and we can have a girl chat." She said winking at Sarah. Karen stepped away from the car. "I'll see you two at home," she said, and started walking back up the street towards the big white Victorian house.

Sarah drove her car down the street and pulled into the driveway. Toby was chattering away about all the things he had done since she had been away, and while she kept a happy face on for Toby's sake, her mind couldn't be deterred from Hoggle's sudden appearance. Getting out of the car, her father was there to greet her.

"Hey sport! How are you?" He said pulling her into a big hug.

"I'm doing great." She answered trying to seem believable. Moving towards the back of the car, she opened the trunk, and began removing the duffel bags.

"Let me help you with your bags." Said her Dad with a big smile; Sarah could tell how happy he was to have her home.

"Thanks Dad." She said, as she followed him up the driveway.

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Sarah hoped no one had noticed anything strange in her demeanor; after all her bags were upstairs, Sarah said she wanted to take a little nap and would come down in awhile. She needed some alone time, and every minute that passed made her more eager to read the note. It had been difficult to seem normal and exchange pleasantries, but now that Sarah was in her room, she started pacing furiously as she whipped the note out of her pocket. Unfolding it, it didn't seem very long and the writing had the appearance of being scribbled down quickly.

Sarah,

Rumors have been flying around the Underground for the last week that Jareth is planning something. I found out that he's going to try to bring you back to the Underground. I don't know much else but I thought I'd tell you this much at least. Be careful, and don't try to contact me because all connections to the Underground are being monitored. I will contact you again soon when I know more.

Your Friend,

Hoggle

Once she had finished reading the note, she paused momentarily before beginning to pace once again. She read it over and over. Sudden nausea and dizziness took over and she had to sit down on the edge of her bed. She could barely believe this was all happening. She hadn't had any contact with him since her adventure, and he wanted to bring her back to the Underground? It didn't make sense. Deciding that she wouldn't let it happen, she thought with determination, 'There is no way he's going to lure me there this time!' She would never wish Toby away, and she'd be damned if he was going to take her against her will! Her anger towards him flared up, and she wanted to scream, but settled for muttering under her breath and pacing once again.

"What right does he have to take me away from my life? There is no way in hell I'm going back with him! He must be crazy if he thinks this is going to work!"

She continued on like this for some time until the anger ebbed and was replaced with bafflement. Why would he be doing this now after all this time? No sensible answers came to mind at first, and then she wondered with panic if he still wanted to make Toby a goblin. Or maybe he was trying to punish her for defeating and rejecting him?

She asked herself all these questions aloud, until she got frustrated, and yelled, "Damn it!" There was a sudden knock at her door, and she looked up.

"Sarah?" Called out a timid voice.

"You can come in Toby." She said, trying to get a hold of her emotions.

He barely pushed open the door. Peaking into her room, he was noticeably confused; she wasn't on the phone and there was no one else in the room. He had heard her yelling, and didn't know what to make of it.

"You OK?" He asked, now concerned about his sister.

"I'm fine Toby, I'm just angry at someone." She said sitting down on her bed.

"Mom told me to call you to dinner." He said before he retreated back down the hall.

Pushing herself up off the bed, Sarah moved towards the door. A flicker of light caught her eye, and she turned around. A shining crystal came rolling out from under her bed and stopped at her feet. She couldn't help but recoil away from it. It didn't move again, but just sat there gleaming malevolently. Sarah distanced herself from the crystal; last time this had happened, Jareth himself had appeared. Nothing more happened, but Sarah just stood there looking at it with shock and disgust for a minute. She didn't quite know how to respond. She certainly didn't want to touch it as there was no telling what this small piece of magic was capable of. She realized she couldn't just leave it there, so with great caution, she picked it up using a towel and moved across her room.

Opening the window, she was prepared to hurl the crystal towards the street when it disappeared. Confounded, Sarah opened the towel only to find that it hadn't vanished, but had transformed into a beautiful red rose. Dropping the towel, she took it into her bare hand. A sharp thorn pierced her finger.

"Damn it Jareth!" She cursed aloud as she brought her finger to her mouth.

Her heart nearly stopped when she swore she heard someone chuckle. Looking around, there was no one there. Turning her attention back to the rose, Sarah noticed a black ribbon tied around the stem. Attached was a little note in elegant handwriting. All it said was:

Sarah, my beautiful rose with dangerous thorns.

Her heart sank. She had truly wanted to believe that Hoggle was wrong and the rumors were false, but now there could be no doubt that there was some truth to Hoggle's message. She contemplated the intention of such a message momentarily. It had been seven years. Why now? She didn't want to have any part of it, not with the labyrinth and especially not with him. Her train of thought was broken however by someone softly calling her name.

"Sarah?" Karen called gently from down the hall. "Are you coming down for dinner sweetie?"

"Yea Karen, I'll be right there." Replied Sarah with a little aggravation.

Closing the door behind her, Sarah followed Karen down the stairs and into the kitchen. Toby and her father were already sitting at the table and looked at her with concern. She sat down at the table setting Karen had put out for her and barely noticed their stares. As the different dishes were passed around to her, she didn't put much on her plate. Of the small amount she did have on her plate, not much made it to her stomach.

She was very silent. Toby was telling everyone at the table about the Halloween party his friend Luke was having and about his costume. Sarah hardly said a word. She moved her food around her plate until she heard her name and noticed everyone starring at her.

Looking up at them with confusion, all she could say was, "hmm?"

Karen looked at her with concern and said, "Sarah, Toby asked what costume you're wearing this year."

"Oh. I haven't picked mine out yet." She replied and turned her attention back to scrambling her food into a big mess.


	3. Unseen eyes

_Ch.3) Unseen Eyes_

During the rest of the meal, everyone stole nervous glances at Sarah. She hardly seemed to notice, as she was preoccupied with moving her food around. Instead of asking her what was wrong they let her be until after the meal. When everyone had finished eating, Sarah was the first to stand up. She moved towards the sink with her plate of uneaten food, and started to rinse it. Karen gestured for the two boys to leave, and without hesitation, they rose from their seats and headed elsewhere.

"Sarah… Would you mind helping me with the dishes?" Asked Karen in the softest tone she could manage.

Without even looking up, Sarah replied, "Yea, sure."

Moving back towards the table, Sarah grabbed her father's plate as well as Toby's and headed over to the sink once more. Karen started putting the uneaten food away and with great caution, she started a conversation.

"So, what's new in your life Sarah?" Karen asked, trying to be as general as possible.

"Not much, I'm just trying to do good in all my classes." Sarah replied unfeelingly as she scrubbed the dish in her hand.

"How about you and Chris?" Karen ventured, trying to be as cautious as she could.

Sarah paused for a moment. She hadn't thought about him since she had arrived, but now he seemed such a distant memory. There were so many strange thoughts plaguing her now, that she almost missed him for his normalcy. Sarah continued scrubbing the dish in a circular motion.

"We broke up." Sarah stated simply.

Moving over to her side, Karen put her arm around Sarah with concern. "Oh, sweetie, I'm so sorry. What happened?"

Sarah set the plate in her hand down. "We just kind of grew apart. It's really no big deal."

"Toby said you were acting kind of strange earlier. I know what it's like to feel heartbreak Sarah, but don't let him make you miserable." Karen rubbed Sarah's back in a comforting gesture.

Sarah realized suddenly that maybe her breakup could be her scapegoat. After all, there was no way she could explain the real reason for her sudden introversion. Using the emotions she had been avoiding, Sarah let it all out.

"He just became more distant. I tried to understand him, but it didn't matter; he left me." Sarah let her eyes well up with tears, and Karen hugged her tightly, trying her best to comfort her stepdaughter.

"It'll all get better sweetie, I promise." Karen said as she rubbed Sarah's back.

For the rest of the time that Karen and Sarah spent doing the dishes, Sarah talked about her relationship with Chris and what had gone wrong. She had not yet reflected on what had happened, so it really was a tremendous help.

Sarah spilled all the details until she was too drained to continue. She was sure this girl chat would quell any curiosity about Sarah's 'strange behavior'. When she retreated to her room, Karen seemed satisfied that all was well and moved into the family room. Seeing Robert sitting in his armchair reading the paper, she crossed the room and sat down on the sofa. He looked up at his wife, who had a knowing smile on her face, and he folded his paper up.

"Well?" He said, some concern creeping into his voice.

"It was just boy trouble." She said calmly.

Robert visibly relaxed

Meanwhile, unseen eyes spied on the activity of the room.

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"Boy trouble indeed," crooned a husky voice. He felt anger towards Sarah and towards this mortal fool. Although he had intervened, he still hated to think that his Sarah willfully had connections with such a stupid young fellow.

The spinning orb danced on the Fae king's fingers as he checked on the various members of the family. Concentrating on Sarah, she came into view. She was in her room sitting on her bed, and looking at the rose he had given her.

"Don't worry, Precious. Soon enough you will be in the Underground." He said, chuckling darkly. "Dear sweet Sarah, you will have to step up your game if you want to play with the big boys."

She looked up suddenly as though aware of his presence. Her attention was diverted, however, by movement in her dressing mirror; she moved towards it hurriedly.

"Blast!" Jareth yelled angrily as he threw the crystal into the air. Before it could even disintegrate, the Goblin King had vanished. Reappearing in owl form near the outskirts of the labyrinth, he soared through the night sky with urgency.

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Sarah sat on her bed. The emotional energy used while thinking and talking about Chris had worn her down. She pushed such thoughts away; there were more pressing matters at the moment. A light breeze fluttered through the open window, and Sarah could swear she heard Jareth's chuckle, yet again. Looking nervously about the room, she could feel his eyes burning into her. Sarah jumped about five feet off her bed when she heard a rushed voice saying her name. Hurrying over to her vanity, she saw Hoggle in her mirror. She was sure he didn't have much time, so she didn't speak.

"Sarah! I just found out more of Jareth's plan! He's going to trick someone into wishing-" Hoggle was cut off mid-sentence; he vanished from view.

"Hoggle? Hoggle?" She asked with panic.

Sarah stopped trying to call for him. His sudden disappearance could only mean one thing; Jareth had gotten to him before he could continue. There was absolutely nothing she could do to help her friend now; she could only hope that Jareth would be lenient. There was no telling what he would do to Hoggle for this act of treason. In fact, Sarah was surprised that nothing had become of her friends for helping her during her adventure, when he easily could have had them exiled for their disobedience.

Sitting down on the edge of her bed, Sarah shot right back up; an idea had struck her. Marching over to her closet, she whipped the door open. Standing on the tips of her toes, she just barely managed to pull a box off of the top shelf of her closet. Setting it on the floor, she was glad to see that the box containing the little red book was still sealed with layers of duct tape. Even though this reassured her, she was by no means going to let this evidence make her feel secure. Ripping the tape off, she lifted the flaps of the box and began rummaging through its contents.

"Come on, where is it??" She said in a panicked tone.

Although Hoggle hadn't finished his sentence, Sarah was sure he was about to say that someone was going to wish her or Toby away. If she got hold of the book, maybe it wouldn't happen at all. Getting increasingly agitated and nervous, she threw things aside until the box was empty. Frustrated, she let out an angry cry and kicked the box away from her. She just couldn't believe it was not there. Standing up suddenly, her head spun from the lack of oxygen. Not waiting for the blackness to clear, Sarah went running down the hall to her brother's room.

"Toby? Toby!" She cried out with anxiety. She rounded the corner and saw her brother playing with some action figures on the floor.

"What's wrong?" He said as he looked up at her with surprise.

"Did-you-go-in-my-room-and-take-the-little-red-book-that-was-in-the-box-on-the-top-shelf-of-my-closet?" She asked in one hurried breath.

"What?" He said, as he could barely understand her.

"That box in my closet. Did you go into it?"

"No. Why would I?" He asked with some irritation at being thus accused.

"I promise I won't be mad Toby. I just need to know."

"I swear, I didn't take anything out of your room." He said, a little hurt

"Alright, I believe you. Sorry." She said, backing away from his door in defeat.

She gravely walked down the hall to her room. Her expression was blank. She didn't know how to feel. Walking beside her bed, she looked down and saw the blue grinning figurine of Jareth lying there. Letting out another angry groan, she kicked it lightly under the bed and out of her sight.

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Jareth flew as quickly as his wings could carry him. Hoggle's little hut was just outside the perimeters of the labyrinth, and Jareth couldn't transport himself there.

'This is just what I need,' he thought to himself, 'the dwarf to mess up my plans again. It's a damned good thing I was watching my crystal.'

He was almost there. He doubted Hogbrain, or whatever his name was, even knew many details of his plan. He had been careful not to let any information escape the castle. Landing just inside the open window of the cottage, Jareth transformed immediately to his fae form. He pulled a crystal from the air and whipped it at the mirror where Hoggle was talking to Sarah. It shattered into a million pieces.

Hoggle was now cowering in fear. Jareth gave him a cold smile and threw a second crystal at him, capturing him inside it. Shrinking the crystal down, Jareth placed it in his pocket and left the cottage. He would have to question the dwarf later on what he'd revealed to Sarah, but for now, he needed to find her other two friends to make sure they didn't try to warn her.

Transforming into an owl, the Goblin King took off to the night skies to find his prey.

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

Sarah thought about what she should do. She'd never so much as breathed a word about that fairytale to Toby, but she couldn't be sure that no one else had heard of it.

'Then again,' she thought to herself, 'it isn't a common story. In fact, I never heard of it until I bought that damned little book from the flea market.'

There was no way she was going to tell Toby now, even if it might prevent him from accidentally making the wish. He was old enough now that it was doubtful he would believe such a story, even coming from her. The whole situation was out of her control. All she could do was hope that somehow his plan would go wrong.


	4. Long lost words

_Ch.4) Long Lost Words_

Sarah became restless as the night wore on; all the thoughts swirling in her head kept her from sleep, and the lack of a resolution kept the endless circle of questions from stopping. Her anxiety was great, especially because she didn't know what Jareth'sactual intentions were. What really worried her the most was Toby's safety. She had no idea if Toby was a part of this plan as well as herself, but then again, she really didn't understand what this was all about yet anyways. What was the point of bringing her back?

The only reason she could think of was for revenge. She had beaten him fair and square, but by winning she had also destroyed his kingdom. Maybe he would enslave her and make her work to rebuild his castle. Sarah tossed and turned in her bed, but sleep would not come to her. Finally, she sat up realizing that her attempt at rest was useless.

Instinctively, she went to her window seat and sat down. Folding her knees and bringing them under her chin, she opened the window just a crack, and let the cool night air wash over her. She did not notice the white owl in the tree only feet away from her, nor did she seem to notice the scent of magic. Deeply breathing in the October air, all of Sarah's restlessness left her. She wasn't sure why, but she was starting to feel better. Taking in a few more deep breaths, she suddenly felt heavy, and her body ached for sleep. She returned to her bed and nestled into her covers, falling into a deep restful slumber.

A gust of wind raced through the window, and the panes swung open wildly. Jareth sat in the tree for a moment to be sure she was asleep, and then he carefully fluttered through the open window. Changing to his Fae form, he moved next to the sleeping girl and placed a tender kiss on her forehead. She sighed in her sleep, but did not waken.

"You're welcome, Sarah." He said as he moved towards her window. Closing it gently, he searched the air for threads of magic. Finding one, he used it to guide him back to his own world, the Underground.

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Sarah woke up late the next morning. Toby was standing next to her bed, tugging on her comforter. She groaned loudly and rolled over to the opposite side of the bed.

"Come on Sarah!" He teased playfully. "Get up! It's Halloween and you still don't have a costume!"

Knowing full well that resistance was futile, Sarah sat up and swung her legs over the side of the bed.

"Alright Toby, I'm up. Just give me a couple minutes to get dressed, OK?"

He nodded and left the room. Sarah stretched her arms out and yawned. She felt completely rested. She had slept like a rock and couldn't remember the last time she had gotten such a deep sleep. Getting out of the bed, she stood up and headed over to her dresser.

Looking in her vanity mirror, Sarah's heart stopped for a second. In the reflection she could see her closet, only for some strange reason, there was a light emanating from the cracks around the closet doors. Like some freaky sci-fi flic, she moved towards the closet and with some trepidation, opened the doors. The light dissipated immediately, but in its wake she saw something white and frilly. There, in her very own closet, hung the white full ball gown from her hallucination.

Her immediate shock was replaced by bewilderment. Why all these little presents? Was he trying to court her? She immediately removed the thought from her head, and whipped the dress out of her closet unceremoniously. She flung it on her bed and thought of an appropriate response to such a gesture. Perhaps she would shred it. Walking up to it with some apprehension, she noted that he had changed it. There were no longer puffy sleeves, nor was it so childish. It was certainly the same dress, but it had changed as though to suit her age and maturity.

Thinking back on the last time she had worn the dress, she remembered with dismay how the hallucination had almost cost her dearly. So much time stolen from her; he hadn't played fair, but she had won anyways. And now here it sat on her bed with all its glamour, and all she could do was stare at it with disapproval. Just as Sarah was about to cram it back into her closet, something unexpected happened. She decided that maybe she ought to try the dress on one last time. Feeling suddenly very drawn to the dress, she decided she NEEDED to try it on. Realizing that these thoughts were not hers, she struggled in vain against the urge. She slipped out of her pajamas and stepped into the gown. It zipped up of its own accord.

"What in the world have I just done?" Sarah quentioned aloud as she stepped over to her vanity mirror.

She studied her reflection with disdain, and tried to unzip the back, but it wouldn't budge. She yanked, and yanked, but it was stuck. She tried next to slip off, but it was as though the dress had been tailored exactly to the fit of her body. She grabbed a pair of scissors. Taking the end of the dress, she tried to cut into the fabric. There was resistance. No matter how much pressure she applied to the scissors, the fabric would not tear. Frustrated, Sarah threw the scissors on her desk.

Suddenly the door opened and Toby stepped into the room. A little agitated he hadn't knocked, Sarah kindly reminded him of the rules of her room.

"Sorry Sarah, I forgot."

"It's alright, just remember that for the future." She stated simply.

"So, is that your costume you're wearing?" He asked, a smile lighting up his face. "I thought you didn't have one! Are you gonna be Glinda from the Wizard of Oz?"

Sarah didn't reply. She didn't know what to say to Toby or how to explain her predicament.

"Well actually, this isn't my costume." She began. She wasn't sure if she would be able to get the dress off of course, but hated to think she would be wearing it for much longer. Karen walked in the room then.

Toby looked at Sarah incredulously, "Oh, come on Sarah, it's perfect!"

"What's perfect?" Asked Karen. Turning her attention towards Sarah, she saw the gown Sarah was wearing, and became mesmerized by it. "Is that your costume Sarah? It's gorgeous! Where on earth did you find such a beautiful gown?"

"Oh you know, they sell lots of old dresses at antique shops…" She stammered awkwardly.

Karen looked the gown over with great curiosity and agreed, "Toby's right, it is perfect! Did you show Sarah your his costume yet?" She asked Toby.

His face lit up. "Oh yea! Come on Sarah, I didn't show you yet. Mom sewed it herself!" He said as he tugged his sister down the hall.

Sarah felt defeated. In a weird way, everything now seemed out of her control. As she stood in the doorway of her brother's room, she could sense Toby's excitement about his costume, and put on a happy face for him, yet again. He opened the door to his closet and pulled out a miniature knight's outfit. It was sewn with silver material, and was accompanied by a shield bearing an old family crest, and a plastic sword and helmet.

"Wow Tobe! This is really something." She said, smiling at her brother.

"Yea, Mom did a great job." He said happily. "So are we going to the park today?" he asked eagerly.

Sarah smiled and nodded her head, but wondered if any more surprises awaited her there. Once they actually arrived, Sarah found herself a spectator of Toby and his friends' wild games. She was fine with that; she was in need of some alone time to sort things out, and found herself rather confined by her silk prison that was her dress. Sitting on the sidelines, Sarah watched from a park bench with some amusement as the three children played together. They were pretending to be on a quest together, though what their mission was, Sarah could only begin to imagine.

Her attention on the three boys was short lived. Sarah could feel something in the air. It was the reason that she used to love Halloween so much. The magic thickly surrounded her, which was something she had enjoyed as a child, but was frightened of now. Despite her attempt to ignore it, there was no mistaking the closeness to the Underground. Glancing around the park nervously, a voice in her head remembered long lost words.

'Give me the child…. Through dangers untold and hardships unnumbered, I have fought my way here to the castle beyond the goblin city to take back the child that you have stolen. For my will is as strong as yours, and my kingdom is as great. You have no power over me!'

A chill rippled through her. She didn't want to remember those words, and she especially didn't want to remember what she had done in saying them. She truly hadn't meant to destroy the kingdom, but what is said is said…. She didn't want to think about him and what she had done to his kingdom. She thought instead about the dress and the current problem at hand. She was already tired of wearing it, and despite the fact that it was Halloween, she was tired of the weird looks people were giving her. The heaviness of it physically and emotionally was quite a burden.

Unable to refrain from thinking about Jareth's plan, Sarah tried to figure out some way to block him or keep him away. Something. Some sort of loop hole or power against him. Weren't there rules about this kind of thing in the Underground? It just seemed wrong that Jareth could pull her from her own world through manipulation. She sadly realized though that no matter how hard she was fighting it, there was no way to avoid the unavoidable. If Jareth wanted her to come back to the Underground, it was doubtful that she could stop him. Although Sarah had become somewhat resigned to her fate, she was by no means going out easily. This was a time to pick her battles, so all her energy would be at hand when there finally was a confrontation.

'He doesn't even know what's coming to him.' Sarah thought to herself gleefully.

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Jareth paced the throne room among all his squabbling goblins. He had kept to himself like this for the last couple of days, and the goblins missed him partaking in their games. He had other things to worry about, however, and had no mind for their silly little games. Everything was prepared for her arrival, and yet he knew things would not go smoothly. Anything involving Sarah meant life was going to get complicated, and only the most intricate of plans would do. Jareth sensed it before he saw it and suddenly stopped pacing.

All the goblins stopped playing and bickering and looked at their king. He moved towards the window hardly noticing his subjects. Peering out over the land, he observed the labyrinth and tapped his riding crop against his boot. It was shifting again, and he noted that along with the changes within the labyrinth, the sky also seemed to be growing darker.

"That girl has no idea what she is putting my kingdom through!" He wailed.

He turned suddenly and moved towards his throne. A goblin got in his way, but instead of kicking it, he merely pushed it aside with his boot. Sitting down on his throne, he pulled a crystal out of thin air, and glimpsed at the girl inside. She was brooding again.

One brave goblin approached the king and asked with a squeaky voice, "Sire, is she affecting the labyrinth again?"

He sighed and threw the crystal in the air. "Yes, her mood is changing the labyrinth whether she knows it or not."

The goblin moved next to the throne to comfort his king.

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"Come on Toby!" Yelled Luke. "It's right over here! Me and Kyle found it over here!"

The three boys slowly pushed their way into the heart of a clump of bushes and gathered around the dead tree at its center. Luke crouched down and reached his arm into a hole under the roots of the tree. His fingers found the hidden treasure, and he delivered it to Kyle's eager hands. Kyle held out the book cover for Toby to read, but he didn't seem interested.

"I found it last week." Luke bragged.

Toby looked on with apathy. It didn't seem that special to him. "Who cares?" He said. "It's just a book."

Luke looked offended and snatched the book away. "You wouldn't say that if you read it!"

"What's it about?" Asked Toby with a little more curiosity.

"It's about goblins." Responded Kyle, a wild look in his eye.

"It's still just a book." Replied Toby.

His two friends looked ready to protest, when Toby heard Sarah calling for him. Before he went sprinting off, he said, " I gotta go. I'll see you at the party later!" Toby disappeared through the bushes and an unseen spectator grinned malevolently from the other side of a crystal ball.


	5. All Hollow's Eve

_Ch.5) All Hollow's Eve_

As soon as Sarah and Toby got home, the entire house was in a state of excitement. Toby bolted up the stairs to get his costume on, while Sarah found her way into the kitchen. Karen came up the stairs from the basement with a box of decorations and lugged it over to the table. Setting it down next to the Halloween candy, Karen looked to Sarah for help.

"Sarah, you've always had a knack for decorating. Do you mind setting this stuff up while I get the candy ready?" She asked politely

"Sure Karen." Sarah replied, hauling the large box out to the front porch.

Getting right to work on the decorations, Sarah was oblivious to the snickering that was coming from the bushes. The little creatures watching her were impressed by their own cleverness. They would get to see the show up close and witness the mortal being taken back to the Underground. The entire Williams family was unaware that goblins had been posted there almost all day. As it got darker, the goblins got bolder. It was Halloween after all and no one would notice an extra beast or two…

While working, Sarah tried not to let her mind stray from her current task at hand. Convincing herself that she was apathetic to all that was going on, she allowed herself to take refuge in the meaningless. After all, she was feeling pretty worn out from trying to pay attention to her surroundings over the last few days. The anxiety was taking a toll on her nerves, so she decided she just didn't care anymore. She no longer felt in charge of her own fate. Sarah was so entirely unaware that she didn't even notice the eyes glaring at her from across the street.

Strolling at leisure was an attractive blond woman. She wore a fine pink dress, with a frilly white petticoat. Above her head was a parasol that she twirled malevolently in her fingers. The Fae woman glared at the mortal and sized her up. She was certainly not intimidated by the mortal's looks, for her own beauty was spoken of throughout the Underground.

"So this is the mortal who has so tainted the labyrinth. How pathetic! The labyrinth won't want this little girl after I'm through with her." She said to herself, smiling wickedly.

Sarah didn't glance up even once while she was outside, a feat which had taken considerable determination. Once she was satisfied with the setup of the decorations, Sarah decided to head inside. Just as she reached for the front door knob, she heard a little snicker. Impulsively whipping around in search of the source, she was not surprised to find herself quite alone. It was just like the night when he had first come to her, all the taunting laughter, and confusion, she couldn't stand to repeat the incident again.

Not questioning the likelihood of the presence of goblins, Sarah ripped the door open and slammed it shut behind her. Turning the lock with a satisfying click, she rested her back against the door with agitation. She felt like her paranoia was getting to her, but she couldn't stop herself. The tension had been building all day, and it put all her nerves on end; Sarah almost wished Jareth would come now so she could get it over with. As that thought crossed her mind, the words formed at her mouth.

"I wish…" She whispered.

Sarah gasped and quickly covered her mouth with her hand. Where did that thought come from, she wondered? She noted a euphoric scent surrounding her; it was his scent; she was enveloped in it. Her anxiety slipped away, and she felt in a stupor. Suddenly his voice was at her ear.

"Sarah…" Her name was whispered like the promise of sinful pleasures.

She felt intoxicated. Losing her balance, she slid down the door and leaned against it on the floor. Her thoughts spun around her head and she even fancied that she could hear music around her. As her vision began to blur, she could see dancers twirling about in the air. She collapsed gently against the door.

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She was completely surrounded. Encased in an illusion of grand magnitude, the crystal ballroom. Sarah's senses were clumsy, and her thoughts were dull; she couldn't seem to gain any clarity of mind. Sarah had no idea how she came to be here, but it didn't matter because her body seemed to be guided by some other will. She moved without hesitation through the dense crowds of people; she was searching for something or someone. The chaos of the room exhausted and over stimulated her senses. She needed to sit, or find somewhere to be alone, but the twirling of the crystal ballroom led her in endless circles.

Glancing around nervously, Sarah took in her surroundings. The walls were heavily decorated with elegant ivory fabrics draped around large silver mirrors. The candles floated of their own accord and shed light on the masked dancers spinning around Sarah. To her annoyance, her ball gown seemed to have changed, though now it exposed more than what Sarah thought was tasteful.

Men in the room were beginning to leer at her. While Sarah's confidence held up to such a test, she was tiring of this game. Her only consolation was the mask that she wore. Somehow she felt it helped her to restrain her emotions and confusion in place of stoicism. It was a grotesquely beautiful thing; inlaid with pearls and gold leaf, the goblin face grinned out at the onlookers who were appraising Sarah's form. Pushing through a group of men, one patted her on the ass as she passed by. She simply walked on as the men behind her chuckled darkly.

Moving towards the side of the room, Sarah felt drawn to the grand staircase. Moving across the crowded landings, she made her way to the top. She saw him then, standing regally amongst so many others. Removing her mask to better see him, there was nothing else in the room to entertain her eye but him. His royal blue tunic separated him from the crowd, and her eyes followed him. She knew then that her resistance to him would not hold up. He casually walked up to Sarah as though they were well acquainted, Sarah felt all the more unnerved.

"Good evening, Sarah," he said giving a small bow.

With unchecked disbelief, Sarah gaped in bewilderment at this polite gesture. Who was this man? It was not the Jareth she knew; certainly not the man she considered to be her enemy. Noticing his curious smile, Sarah quickly regained composure, and formally gave a small curtsy; his smile spread.

"Would you care to dance, Ms. Williams?" He asked, stepping forward and offering his hand.

She was shocked, but for some reason couldn't bring herself to say no. She put her hand in his, and he led her down the stairs and into the dense group of twirling dancers who parted willingly for him. Swooping her into the seductive dance, her dress changed dramatically into a fiery red gown. Her head was still spinning; he held her tightly. She wasn't sure whether she wanted to get away from him or not. Her head was screaming for her to get out, but it was so nice to be in his arms. He seemed to read her thoughts and grinned with malice.

"You cannot pretend here Sarah; this is your fantasy after all."

Sarah once again found herself to be speechless; her thoughts were rampant and unfocused, she held onto him for support. Feeling incredibly vulnerable, she looked searchingly in his eyes, and tried to derive some meaning from it all. His expression warmed. As he was about to say something, a hideous sound reached their ears. It was a gruesome sound of reminder to wake her up from his charm. The clock spoke out and took away another hour.

In a panic, she tore herself away from him and pushed her way through the crowd. Making her way to the edge of the ballroom, she frantically slapped her hands against the mirrors. They didn't even flex. Grabbing the back of a white chair from a nearby table, Sarah lifted it up, but as she was bringing it down to smash it through the mirror, Jareth came up behind her and violently ripped it from her hands. It clattered across the ballroom floor, and the music stopped. She was in turn whipped around unceremoniously, and at his signal, a new fiery song began to play. Pulling her into the dance, he held her body tightly to his. The crowd tightened in around the couple, and began to mock their dance.

With some frustration he looked at Sarah crossly and said, "This time, I'm not going to let you destroy the fantasy, precious." He tightened his grip on her lower back for emphasis, and some air escaped her parted lips.

She glared at him, knowing full well what he meant. She didn't like admitting it to herself, but she had created the fantasy of the crystal ball room years ago when she used to dream of the Goblin King. This was all before she actually realized that he was real. Since she had gone to the labyrinth, she hadn't thought of it once. Looking up at him with resentment and unmasked curiosity, she followed his lead around the dance floor. His moves became bolder; Sarah's unease grew.

She thought about tearing away from him again when he brought his lips to her ear to whisper, "You cannot escape your destiny pet. Our bond is already halfway complete, but after tonight, there will be no question in your mind that you belong to me as I belong to you."

His words left her short for breath. He gripped her tightly, and possessively. There was a fire in his eyes that spoke of lust and hunger.

"How you've turned my world you precious thing, you starve and near exhaust me…" The words echoed throughout the room and the familiar song struck a deep chord in Sarah's heart.

She looked away from him as guilt spread across her features. She knew that no matter how much she hated Jareth for what he had done, it was her fault that things had happened this way. It was her who had wished Toby away, and her who had secretly wished to meet the Goblin King. Even though she hadn't known what she was doing, she was responsible for what had happened to Toby as well as for hurting Jareth. Knowing full well what she was contemplating, Jareth made a conscious effort to seem more affectionate. He began singing softly in her ear, and she melted against him. He led her slowly towards the side of the room, and spun her tenderly. She tightened her grip on him, and he smiled to himself; his plan was working.

"Jareth…" She said in a soft whisper; it made him stop.

He said her name with the same amount of tenderness and her gaze finally met his. He was still gently singing to her,

"I'll paint you mornings of gold, I'll spin you Valentine's evenings, though we're strangers till now, we're choosing the path between the stars, I'll leave my love between the stars."

The dancers were all crowding around once again. She did not notice them; she could only focus on the man before her. Her heart was pounding in her chest; without contemplating the thought, she pushed forward and captured his lips in a deep kiss. A wave of pleasure passed through Sarah. She began to fade from consciousness; the ballroom became one warm blur; Sarah felt no more spinning.

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The Goblin King was on his throne when he came to from his trance. Wearing a big smile on his face, he was notably in a good mood. The smarter goblins noticed, and turned to look at the king. A wise old creature from the labyrinth stood nearby. His talking bird hat smirked above him. Looking up at the Goblin King, he asked:

"Did things go well, your majesty?"

"Yes, Sarah completed our bond. The labyrinth will respond to this, I'm sure." He answered, a playful gleam in his eye.

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"Sarah? Sarah?" Asked an unidentifiable voice.

When she came to, her whole family was crowded around her. She was lying on the doormat, and had some kind of headache! Rubbing her temples, she looked up at Karen.

"What happened?" Sarah asked.

"Well, you collapsed honey… are you OK?" Karen responded with concern.

"I'm fine. How long was I out?"

"Just a few minutes." Answered her father.

"Listen Sarah." Began her stepmother, "If you can't take Toby out tonight, that's OK."

"No, no, I'm fine!" Sarah insisted. She didn't want to miss out on this.

After a few moments of arguing that she was indeed, all right, the whole family headed into the kitchen for dinner. Sarah didn't talk much, though she tried to focus on the dinner conversation. The blackout had left her with an odd calm, although she could not remember where her dreams had taken her. After dinner, she headed upstairs to her room and got ready to go trick or treating with Toby. She felt like she was being watched, but ignored it. As soon as she added makeup and jewelry, she truly looked like a princess.

Feeling more her part than she cared to admit, she headed down the stairs. Her brother was waiting in the foyer and practically jumped up and down with excitement; he was ready to go out and get started. They left several minutes later, and upon stepping out the front door, Sarah was shocked to see the massive crowds of people on her street. She led Toby around the groups of trick or treaters and strangely enough she noticed there were many adults in costume. This was the biggest Halloween Sarah or Toby had ever seen, it looked more like a party in the streets.

Sarah began following Toby more closely. The great amount of noise and excitement made her feel a little jumpy. She obediently waited from the sidewalk as Toby picked his way up the front steps of the houses. She noticed a lot of little children running around in the streets too, or at least what she hoped were little children… She told herself that she was getting paranoid again, and tried her best to dismiss it.

After awhile, Sarah noticed a lot of people were staring, and a small clan followed slowly behind Sarah as she progressed down the street. She didn't recognize anyone. Deciding to block these thoughts out, she hurried Toby down the street. He was done trick or treating at 9:00. They got to the end of the street, and approached the last house, which belonged to Toby's friend, Luke. A neighborhood party was going on there; many people had shown up, and there were kids running around everywhere.

The adults were in the house, and the kids mostly chased each other around outside. Toby found his friends quickly, and laughed childishly at Luke's costume; he was goblin. Sarah saw that he'd found his friend, and went inside the house to talk to some of her neighbors. The hostess offered her a drink, which she accepted. Sarah stayed in the kitchen and chatted with some of the women while sipping on a glass of spiked punch. She noticed a young blond woman in a pink dress in the next room. She was staring into the kitchen, but Sarah had no idea who she was. She quietly whispered to one of her neighbors about the girl.

"Who is that? Is she new to the neighborhood?"

"No, she came here with someone else. I don't know anything about her, except that her name is Venetia."

Not wanting to sound overly concerned, Sarah quit the subject and returned to talking about the new political proposal in the district.

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Toby was making fun of Luke's costume incessantly, and Luke was getting visibly flustered. It was all in good fun, but Luke was taking it very seriously coming from his best friend.

"If you saw a goblin, you'd be terrified." Sneered Luke.

"Goblins aren't real!" Shouted Toby laughingly.

"How do you know?"

"I don't believe in magic, that's for kids."

"This book is more than magic, it's a world of goblins! You could wish away someone you don't like." Offered Luke.

Toby looked at his friend skeptically, and said, "Spells from a stupid little book don't really work."

"Then why don't you wish someone away to prove it?" Asked Luke.

"What? … No!" Replied Toby, offended.

"See? That proves it! You really do believe in magic!" Taunted Luke.

"No I don't!"

"Then prove it," challenged Luke.

"Alright, who?"

"Hmmm…. Sarah! She's right here, so we can watch and find out for sure."

At that particular time, Sarah was alone in the kitchen, looking for something in her purse. The three boys crept nearby, and Luke once again offered his dare.

"Come on, Toby. Do it already."

Toby hesitated; something about this seemed wrong, or dangerous. His pause gave Luke ammo. "I knew it, you really do believe in magic!" He said gloatingly.

"No!" Toby wouldn't let a stupid book scare him, "I wish the goblins would come take Sarah away! Right now!" He said in a shout.

The light in the kitchen flickered out. The boys all gasped in astonishment, and when the light came back on, she was gone.

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Sarah appeared on the hill. She cringed. She had heard the words being said, and knew where she was going to be when the lights came on again. She was still wearing the ball gown, and her heels were sinking into the sand. When she heard a gloating voice behind her, she turned and glared with all the hostility she could manage.

"Hello, Sarah." He said smoothly.

She didn't care to exchange pleasantries. She intensified her glare and shouted, "What did you do? You made this happen!"

He remained calm. "I don't know what you are talking about Sarah. I didn't do anything." He answered innocently as he took a few steps towards her.

Sarah stood her ground. "Oh, no! Don't give me that crap! I know you had something to do with this!" She yelled, gesturing violently.

"It doesn't matter how it happened Sarah. After all, what's said is said…" He purred.

She turned away briefly. His proximity had unwanted effects. She shivered a little bit, and backed up a step.

"Your brother wished you into my care, Sarah." He said as he neared her once again. "You should have seen this coming. You humans have a saying for this I believe? What goes around comes around." He said smiling maliciously.

The fire came back in her eyes and she stepped up to challenge him. "You bastard! How dare you use Toby that way!"

"Yes, and unfortunately, the labyrinth's rules won't allow someone his age to run." He said with a wicked grin. She reached forward and slapped him.

He looked shocked. She went in for another, but he was paying attention this time and caught her arm. He held her tightly for a moment and then released her and began circling around her.

"Now Sarah, there will be time enough to get rough with me later on." He promised.

Sarah was fuming; she refused to be treated as such when it was she who was here against her will. Thinking over her options, she began somewhat desperately:

"Toby might be too young, but I demand the right to run the labyrinth for my own freedom!"

He looked at her with utter curiosity. "Hmm… that's an interesting proposal, but I need some convincing…"

She stared daggers at him, and he chuckled lightly.

"Stay the fuck away from me, and don't even think about touching me." She said angrily.

"Oh, I think you'll find that that's exactly what you want, Sarah. You kissed me willingly in the crystal ballroom, remember?"

His cockiness was really pushing her to the limits. "What are you talking about?" She retorted.

"Your blackout, pet. The crystal ballroom. You kissed me willingly, and whether you knew it or not, you completed our bond." He stated, giving her some distance.

"Bond? What does that even mean?" She said with some confusion.

The blackout was beginning to come back to her, but she couldn't comprehend what he was referring to.

"Yes, a bond. I offered myself to you long ago, and you rejected me. We were half bonded. You completed it by kissing me willingly." He said, still circling around her like a carnivore.

She had nothing to say to that. He was obviously enjoying her discomfort, and came closer. She was in shock. She didn't know how to argue it, she had no idea about the laws and rituals in the Underground. She stated the obvious,

"You tricked me!"

"I did no such thing, Sarah. It wouldn't have been a real bond if I had any part in forcing you."

He stepped in closer, she didn't move away. She thought with dismay that he was going to kiss her. It sparked a small amount of excitement; she almost wanted it to happen. It would be such an awful and yet wonderful thing to feel his lips on hers. As if reading her thoughts, he moved in swiftly and pulled her into a devastating kiss. She hardly tried to resist, and even melted against him. Suddenly realizing the stupidity of her decision, she regained some of her self-control and pulled away, shouting at him.

"I don't want you, Jareth, and I don't want to be here!

He looked hurt for a fraction of an instant, and then it turned to anger. Sarah shouted at him before he could say anything:

"I demand the right to run for my freedom!"

He was starting to look weary of this argument, and his anger was becoming more visible. Sarah still wouldn't back down.

"It won't change anything if you run the labyrinth, Sarah." He said seriously. "Even if you do, you will not win."

"Wana bet?" She said arrogantly.

He sighed with frustration, "The labyrinth let you win last time."

She looked as though she'd been slapped. He continued:

"Only you could have defeated the labyrinth because you were meant to. Just as you were meant to form a bond with me. The labyrinth decides who is worthy of ruling."

Sarah felt as though she'd just seen a ghost. She simply could not comprehend it. This was ridiculous. He looked at her to see if she could take any more, and began once again:

"When you left the Underground, the labyrinth had already attached itself to you. It started acting out and changing based on your moods, but now that you are back, it should start to stabilize." He said. "There is no point of you running the labyrinth, because it knows your intention to leave it. There is no way it will let you go now that our bond is complete."

Sarah was beginning to feel defeated, but as a last resort pleaded begrudgingly "I should still have the option of trying!"

He looked at her maliciously, and growled, "What if I say no?"

She looked up at him cruelly. "Well, I'm certainly not coming back to the castle with you!"

"Damn it, Sarah, why must you make everything so difficult?" He shouted.

He was about to continue, when she wound up and smacked him hard. She felt justified in it; he was threatening her. His gaze intensified, and the cruelty in his eyes doubled. Disappearing from the spot, he reappeared behind her, and grabbed both her arms firmly but carefully.

"You are not to slap your king again!" He said with great agitation.

She struggled against him, and was suddenly released. She looked around in agitation; he reappeared in front of her. She didn't know what to do with herself. Some part of her wanted to keep fighting, but she was already so weary. He moved in close to her again. She felt like he was breaking her down. She wanted to let go, to kiss him, to go silently. She couldn't though; pushing it to the back of her mind, she fought against it. She breathed shallowly and closed her eyes waiting for his decision instead of her own. He almost caved in then, but realized the danger in it. He pulled away from her suddenly and vanished. His voice echoed behind him, "You have 13 hours in which to solve the labyrinth, before you become one of us, forever."

She shivered involuntarily. He had left her on the hillside with less fire than she had started with. Realizing it was time to start her journey, Sarah slowly made her way down the hill in her gown and heels.

Realizing her shoes would be more a hindrance than a help, she pulled them off and left them in the sand. She noted that her dress seemed no longer affected by its original magic; it was fraying and rather dirty. It didn't matter; to her it was only a silly dress. Approaching the labyrinth with caution, she couldn't help but think with sorrow that there was no Hoggle in the garden this time. She approached the gate to the giant maze, and it swung open, creaking in an intimidating fashion. Sarah stepped inside, and the gate snapped shut behind her.


	6. Only time will tell

_Ch.6) Only Time Will Tell_

Jareth paced amidst a large gathering of goblins and thought about the stubborn girl who would never accept things the way they were. The goblins watched their King absentmindedly and continued to uphold the uproarious atmosphere. Jareth's boots clicked on the stone floor and the sound seemed to wrap itself around the room. When the Wise Man entered the chamber, the Goblin King paused briefly and looked up, but soon returned to his excited pacing.

"Do you think it wise to let the girl run the labyrinth again?" Asked the old one.

Jareth stopped mid stride and looked angrily at his teacher. "I had nothing to do with this! She demanded I allow her to run for her own freedom, and she struck me!" Jareth said throwing his arms up.

The hat atop the Wise Man began to snicker, causing Jareth and its owner to glare at it. "Well, Sire, you did take her away from her home…" The hat bravely ventured.

"She was always meant to return here, you know that!" Jareth shouted. "The land cried out for her while she was away, but now look at it, it's changing and growing."

Jareth pointed towards the window and the Wise Man had no choice but to look out over the labyrinth. Just as Jareth had described, the land was transforming to a state grander than he'd ever seen. It was blooming and coming to life in a way that The Old One would've thought impossible if he weren't seeing it with his own eyes. The King took a seat on his throne and pinched the bridge of his nose to ward off a headache. The Wise Man stepped up to the throne, and looked at the King with respect.

Jareth looked at the elder and began argumentatively, "The labyrinth will not let her win this time; it knows her true intentions." A wicked smile lit upon his face, and then he continued. "Besides, it will do her some good to cool down; by the time she gets here, she won't have the energy to fight anymore." He said, the impish gleam returning to his eye.

"In fact," he continued, "I have a feeling our dear Sarah will be more than agreeable to her new… situation, when she arrives. Until then, my orders remain in effect. Under no circumstances is anyone in the labyrinth to help her…"

The King looked happy for the first time in ages, and the goblins became excited. When he began to laugh, the goblins mocked his merriment and snickered maliciously; the Wise Man felt uneasy, but held his tongue and left the castle the way he came in.

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As Sarah walked between the stone walls of the labyrinth, she noted that things were very different from her last trip. The most startling difference was the labyrinth's change in appearance. It seemed even more dramatic and beautiful and yet in some ways more frightening than before.

The fog she had stepped into upon first entrance had never dissipated, even as she moved further into the maze. She had been walking for some minutes and could still hardly see a foot in front of her face. The ground was a cool marble, littered with stray sticks. The tops of the smooth stone walls were draped with ivy and adorned with exotic flowers.

After a couple minutes of blissful appreciation, the place lost its appeal. Her bare feet kept getting cut up by the sticks, making the beauty of the place lose its charm. After awhile, Sarah turned her thoughts elsewhere and allowed her right hand to skim along the stone wall. She realized with dismay that she had not yet come across a single opening. She thought about what Jareth had said and wondered if the labyrinth would indeed keep her from winning.

'He could be lying, it's probably a trick to make me feel hopeless,' she thought to herself.

Sarah allowed her mind to wander and reflect on what had happened. Because of this, she wasn't watching where she was walking and stepped on one of the sharp sticks she had been avidly avoiding. Yelping in pain, she pulled her foot up to see the damage. A sharp twig had penetrated the skin, and was still stuck there. She sat down and looked at the object protruding from her foot. She breathed in and pulled the stick from the wound. It hadn't gone in very far but blood began to trickle from the cut.

This was the last thing she needed. She grunted and thought, 'Well this is just great, it's only going to get worse if I keep walking on it!'

Sarah used her hand to put pressure on the wound, but it wasn't really helping. Looking down at her dress, she sighed. She gripped one of the skirts, and managed to tear a strip of cloth away. It was official; the dress had lost all its magic. Tying the cloth around her foot, she stood up slowly and put pressure on it. The pain beat dully in her foot, but she ignored it and began walking again.

An eerie silence hung in the air that she hadn't noticed before. Sarah could hear her bare feet gently thumping against the ground. The now slick bandage stuck to the surface of the marble to make a somewhat disturbing slap every time she took a step. To ward off the sickening feeling in her stomach, Sarah hummed quietly to herself. She realized after a moment that she was humming the song he had sung to her but didn't stop.

She continued to reflect on her journey, and thought about the differences from her last adventure. She noted once again that her friends wouldn't be here to help her this time, and realized that she had less to fight for. Last time she had to save Toby, but now she was fighting for herself, and found herself less motivated. The last couple of days had really worn her down psychologically, which she guessed was his exact purpose for toying with her. Sarah was a caged tiger, however, and still had enough fight in her to keep her going. She thought about the party, and silently thanked her creator that she had eaten recently.

She wasn't in ideal clothing, and she was getting awfully tired, but what anger and desire to win she had left gave her energy. Sarah assured herself that this time she would see through all his tricks and not take things for granted. She remembered the words of the Wise Man in the garden, "Sometimes young lady, it seems like we're not getting anywhere, when in fact we are. The way forward is often times the way back."

"Yea, well if I don't find my way forward soon, then I won't have a way back." She said aloud, looking around suddenly.

Sarah stopped dead. She had been so busy with her thoughts, that she had stopped paying attention to her surroundings. At some point, she must have dropped her hand down to her side, because all barriers had vanished, including the walls. She saw endless open space covered by a thick layer of fog, with only the marble floor to comfort her.

Sarah was frozen to the spot. She looked around again to be sure this was really happening. There was nothing. Nothingness everywhere. She broke out into a furious dash towards the nothingness. She ran until she had no breath left, but there was still nothing. Panting, she struggled to calm herself. She had to breath deeply, but it didn't seem to help; she was starting to have a panic attack. The large open space was really freaking her out. She couldn't see anything. For a moment she thought of calling out to Jareth, but her will wouldn't let her. She could hardly suppress her panic; she needed to do something. She sat down on the ground and tried her best to calm down, but her breathing became ragged. She laid down and shut out the vast void that surrounded her.

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

Jareth was sitting on his throne playing with his goblins. For the first time in ages, he was actually in the mood to tolerate them; he was happy and eager as a child. He didn't even bother to watch Sarah, he was certain the labyrinth would do his job for him. He felt an unwelcome presence enter his castle, and bolted upright in response. He sighed, and the goblin guard, Goelz looked up at him.

"Who is it, Sire?" He asked excitedly.

"Venetia…" He said with a spiteful tinge to his voice.

He sat back and kicked his legs over the sides of the throne. Lying back with feigned arrogance, he prepared for her entrance He did his best to look bored and uninterested; she walked into the room eagerly.

She was wearing an ivory dress that clung gracefully to her figure. Her hair was pulled back to reveal her stunning features. She had a simpering smile on her face, and curtsied to the King, never taking her eyes off of him. He barely acknowledged her presence, but she began anyways with a cold arrogant tone:

"How interesting, Jareth. I heard that a mortal was running the labyrinth for the first time in seven years. Do accompany me to the viewing tower, I would love to watch." She finished in the most charming voice she could contrive.

He looked at her with some sarcasm and replied, "I'm sure you would, Venetia, but I assure you, you will find yourself quickly bored."

She looked on innocently. "Yes, but isn't this the Sarah? This should prove most interesting indeed. How surprising that she has returned." She purred. "I would simply love to have your company." She pleaded.

With a little more of her charm and unwillingness to leave, Jareth finally agreed to accompany her to watch Sarah's progress from the viewing tower. Refreshments soon arrived in the luxurious suite, and Venetia helped herself to the wine. Jareth sat down near the window and looked over the land.

"Reveal." He stated simply.

Half of the window changed to a viewing screen, while the other half continued to show the labyrinth stretching out over the land. Venetia sat near Jareth and cozied up as close as she could without being on top of him. He didn't seem to notice because he was mesmerized by the image of the mortal. Venetia became bitter; this was the girl who was threatening her position. She couldn't help but scowl at the image; Sarah was barely even a woman, and a worthless human on top of that. Venetia put her best charm on, and placed her hand in the crook of Jareth's arm. He still barely noticed. She pressed against him and purred:

"So, Jareth, what do you plan on doing with the mortal if she loses?"

"You know very well of my plans, Venetia." He said without glancing at her. Venetia looked offended at his indifference and severity and removed her hand.

She was now full of contempt "And what if she wins?" She spat at him as he bolted up and started towards the screen.

Jareth didn't respond; he saw that Sarah had wandered into the fog and couldn't hide his concern. His emotions were not his own; the fear he felt was sickening. It was as though he was the one trapped in the endless fog. His face was only inches from the screen, but there was nothing he could do. Venetia let out a cold hard laugh; it was evident she was enjoying the spectacle.

"Sarah…" Jareth whispered to the screen.

Venetia felt a pang of jealousy. He was worried about that little bitch. She wanted so badly for the mortal to win, because that meant she would be out of Jareth's life again. If that happened, he would be forced to choose Venetia; no one else would dare go against her. Jareth backed away from the screen suddenly and gasped.

"I don't believe it…" He said. Venetia's interest was caught now.

"What's so interesting, Jareth?" She asked as she sauntered up to him.

"The labyrinth is responding to her fear…" He said in disbelief.

Venetia glared at the image. She knew that even if the girl was out of Jareth's life, the labyrinth would still be her own main threat. However, there was nothing she could do to entice the labyrinth to her side; she would just have to hope that in time it would come to accept her.

'I wonder if the labyrinth will even let her win…' Venetia wondered. 'This may be more difficult than I thought it would be.'

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Sarah blanked her mind. The cold solid marble pressing against her back comforted her. She didn't open her eyes. She was still having a panic attack and the effects were evident. She heard her name whispered through the fog, "Sarah…" in one long whisper. She shivered and wished that someone, even Jareth, would help her. A rush of wind caressed her and she became aware that something around her was changing. She was afraid to open her eyes, but not opening them would be worse.

When Sarah finally stopped squeezing her eyes shut, she saw blue skies. She lay there for a moment, and then sat up. When she did, she couldn't help but gasp; the mists no longer surrounded her. She was in a location that she had never visited during her last trip. Taking a deep breath, Sarah inhaled the fragrant air. She was in the most exquisite and magnificent rose garden she had ever seen. It was within an outdoor room that connected to other rooms, though the ceilings were absent. Terra cotta archways and walls framed each individual room and corridor; a wide assortment of rose bushes were scattered around the place. The labyrinthine structure was a beautiful sight, but somehow it seemed treacherous. The ground was now a light flagstone, but thorny branches were strewn about, which made Sarah groan.

She sorrowfully looked at her dress once again. It was looking pretty dirty, and quite ragged from the increasing amount of holes and missing pieces. She grabbed a skirt of her dress, and ripped more strips of fabric away. Tying the strips around her feet until they were completely covered, she managed to make a protective layer on the soles of her feet. She sighed; she didn't want to destroy the dress, her only clothing here, but knew it was necessary if she didn't want to get all cut up. It might have been a dress from Jareth, but now that some of her anger had abated, she felt it was her only material sense of comfort. Standing back up, Sarah looked around.

There was no way to tell how many rooms were in the place. She started walking, and began winding her way through the narrow paths. She tried to keep as far from the thorns as she could. Every once in awhile, she wandered too near. She had little cuts where the thorns had scraped her skin, and her dress often got snagged, slowing her progress.

Sarah paid full attention to her environment; she didn't want to end up lost again. Even though she didn't quite understand how she had gotten into the fog, she certainly didn't want to end up there again. It was difficult not to think about Jareth, the changes in the labyrinth, and even her friends, but somehow she managed. She absolutely hated feeling lost, and she was growing quite tired of moving through room after room. Although she had tried to discern each room from another, they soon all looked the same. It felt as though she were walking in a big circle.

When Sarah finally saw a larger room ahead through one of the arched entries, she felt relieved; maybe this was the end. Sarah couldn't help but frown when she entered the room and found that it was not. Instead it looked as though she had come across some magnificent courtyard. In the middle of the garden there was a large fountain that drained into a pool of water. A piece of carved marble in its center showed several mermaids holding a shell above their heads. Water flowed off of the edges of the shell, and cascaded into the large body of water below.

There were numerous pathways leading to the fountain, and between these paths were the rose bushes. Sarah wandered over to the fountain wearily, and sat down on the edge. She looked in the calm part of the pool and stared at her reflection. There was dirt smudged on her face, so she dipped her hands in the cool water and did her best to wipe off the grime. When the water settled, she noticed startlingly that her reflection was smiling, but she wasn't.

"If I were you, I'd just give in now." It said to her.

Sarah starred at the water in disbelief. It laughed at her, and waited for her to say something. When no response came, she became sterner:

"Well, aren't you going to say something?" It asked her as though she felt Sarah was being very rude.

"I'm Sorry…" Sarah stammered, " I've just never heard my reflection talk before."

Her reflection smiled wickedly and continued. "Like I said, it's better to give in now."

Sarah was confused. "What do you mean?"

"The Goblin King always gets what he wants," she said smiling like a jackal, "So give in now…"

"No Way!" Sarah yelled at it in disbelief.

"Suit yourself. You'll be the one dealing with his anger." It said, turning it's back on her.

"You're just a decoy! Another one of his tricks to use up my time!" Said Sarah, stepping away from the water. Before her reflection could respond, Sarah marched across the space and exited through an archway on the opposite side of the room.

Sarah was sure the reflection was a trick. It definitely seemed like another one of his time wasting devices. Sarah was soon out of sight of the middle room. She kept walking. After awhile, she became tired again; the rooms were endless. She kept going, however, because she felt she had no other choice.

After another ten minutes of walking, Sarah got fed up and had a miniature temper tantrum. After kicking a couple of sticks on the ground and releasing a few frustrated screams, Sarah plunked down to the ground. Massaging her temples, she was startled when a voice came from behind her.

"You look like you could use a nap!" An ancient male voice resounded.

Turning around, Sarah was surprised to find where there had previously been another archway; there was now a solid wall with an attached fountain protruding. A stone lion's head released a stream of water into a basin, and Sarah could only guess that the lion was the one who had spoken.

It coughed and spit out some of the water in its mouth, then continued. "If you want to get out of this part of the labyrinth, you have to correctly answer my riddle" It said.

Sarah looked around. There was a solid wall behind her, the fountain in front of her, and an archway to the left and right.

"What if I don't want to answer your riddle?" She asked contemptuously.

The lion wasn't offended. "You will go in circles and keep winding up here until you answer it. If you get it right, then the paths will open up and you will enter a new section of the labyrinth." It stated simply.

"And if I answer incorrectly?" She asked.

He looked at her sympathetically. "If you answer incorrectly, then the mists will enter with a sleeping enchantment. You will wake up after a few hours."

Sarah sighed; she had no choice but to give it her best shot. "Alright, ask the riddle."

The lion cleared his throne and began: "Until I am measured, I am not known. Yet how you miss me, when I have flown." He said. "If you need me to repeat it, I will do so, but you have only ten minutes to solve the riddle."

Sarah's face clearly looked panicked. She was usually so good with riddles, but right now she could not think clearly. In earth time it was early in the morning and she was in desperate need of rest. Sarah repeated the words in her head. She could come up with no answers, though she knew it would be a simple, obvious answer. When ten minutes had passed, the lion looked sympathetic once again.

"Have you answered the riddle?"

She looked at it sadly. "I have not."

"The answer is time." It stated.

It became suddenly still and lifeless. Water began to pour from its mouth once again, and Sarah looked around with panic. A light fog began to descend upon her, and Sarah grew weary. She was no longer in control. Sleep threatened to take her at any moment, so she did the only thing she could; she didn't resist. She laid down on the flagstone and allowed the mists to take her off to the sleeping world.


	7. A Fae woman's faux pas

_Ch.7) A Fae Woman's Faux Pas _

Jareth and Venetia sat silently in the viewing room. Currently they were watching Sarah slipping into the deep sleep that the enchanted mists had put her in. She was sitting in a corner, her back against the wall. When she finally lost consciousness, her head gently slumped against the stone wall, and her body looked relaxed. A look of relief spread over Jareth's features when he saw the girl resting at last.

Venetia, on the other hand, looked about ready to have a fit. She was tired of being ignored and was especially angry that her replacement was this mortal. She was finally beginning to comprehend how much trouble Sarah was going to cause her in achieving her goals. She would not tolerate this. Calming her anger, she decided to try a new tactic.

"Shall we leave this dreadful room, Jareth?" She purred.

Jareth looked at her skeptically, but stood up; he tried to suppress his smile, he had an idea. He yelled for one of the guards, and a tall lanky goblin came into view. Venetia shuddered; she hated the grotesque creatures.

"Keep an eye on Sarah. If she wakes up or anything happens, alert me immediately."

The goblin nodded his head and ran over to one of the comfortable chairs; he was only too happy to do as ordered in such a luxurious place. Jareth held out his arm for Venetia, and she took it gratefully. Gracing him with a flirtatious smile, his only response was a frown; her company was beginning to try his patience.

Jareth gripped Venetia's arm tightly and transported them to the great hall. Venetia definitely noticed his intention of implying she should leave, but actually looked a little annoyed at the gesture. She had decided that she was not going to leave the castle as long as that mortal was running the labyrinth. She wasn't ready to throw in the towel yet. She quickly thought up a way to occupy Jareth's time, and turned towards him with an innocent smile.

"Would you take a turn about the garden with me?" She asked charmingly.

She received no response, but he gave her a curt nod and pulled her towards the great oak door. They stepped out onto a graveled walk and followed the winding paths to the glorious castle gardens. Exotic flowers bloomed in brilliant colors, and fairies hovered over the pathways. Multiple fountains were scattered around the castle grounds, and magnificent marble statues lined the paths.

There were many secluded spots amongst the vegetation, and it was Venetia's intention to drag Jareth to one and take the situation into her own hands. He remained silent for a good duration of the walk and Venetia was more than happy to fill in both sides of conversation. As they strolled leisurely around the garden, she chatted idly. The King ignored her, simply nodding his head every now and then.

When they finally did arrive at a small gazebo that was set a bit off the path, Venetia took a seat, content with the arrangement. Jareth remained standing however, not wanting to get too comfortable. If he knew anything about Venetia, he knew she would be overstaying her welcome. He didn't want her anywhere near Sarah, which worried him because there were only eight hours left until Sarah would lose the game.

"Jareth, do come and sit beside me…" Venetia said seductively.

He didn't seem to catch the tone in her voice and sat down beside her. She looked upon him hungrily, but Jareth was oblivious to her determination. Venetia had offered herself to him before, but it was an offer he would never think of accepting while Sarah was still a conquest. Venetia was one of the most beautiful faes of the Seelie court, but Sarah had a fire in her eyes that could not be matched. Those fiery green eyes had bewitched him.

When Jareth wasn't looking, Venetia slipped her hand into a hidden pocket of her skirts, and fished out an emerald green amulet. She knew Jareth wanted her; he just needed a little… persuading. She whispered a few words to the amulet, and it began to glow. She carefully placed it back into her pocket, and shifted her body closer to Jareth.

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

Sarah slept a dreamless sleep. The enchantment made her feel relaxed, as if she had no cares in the world. This is why when Sarah woke from her slumber it took her more than a couple minutes to clear her mind from its hazy state. She felt groggy, and incredibly tired. Rubbing her eyes, she tried to focus better on her surroundings. When she realized she was not in her room or any familiar place, she started forward violently. Her memories of the previous hours were eluding her. She stood up in hopes that somehow it would help her remember. She looked down at her dress.

'This isn't right…' She thought. 'I should be in my bed at home. We went home after the party.'

Almost as if on cue with her thoughts, it hit her all at once. A wave of cold dread washed over her, and she gasped for air. She had no idea how much time her "nap" had cost her, and thought with some apprehension about the time she had lost; for all she knew she only had an hour or two left. The only way to find out for sure was by calling on Jareth, and she definitely couldn't tolerate his smug attitude right now.

Looking around, she noticed with dismay that the fountain and lion were gone, but the room still had two archways. She chose the archway on the left and wandered through the connected rooms; certain she would find no exit. After a few minutes of walking, her determination returned; she could see the hedge maze section of the labyrinth ahead. It would be perhaps more confusing than the rose garden, but there were no thorns to get snagged on.

Entering the hedge maze, Sarah began to feel rather tired. She wondered how many laborious hours would fall while she was winding her way through the maze. After her little rest in the garden, she didn't have much fight left in her. She would not, however, give up. There was no way she was going to quit now; she would never admit defeat to Jareth.

As the minutes dragged on, her resolve began to decay and she started feeling very frustrated with the labyrinth. It seemed as though she were getting nowhere. Her thoughts were scattered, and her pessimism was kicking in.

'Maybe Jareth wasn't lying. Maybe I really can't win this time.'

She sighed deeply, but kept walking. She hardly cared where she was going, and didn't notice at first when she walked into the circular courtyard. When she did finally recognize where she was, the realization lifted her spirits. She was getting somewhere, and just maybe she would best him yet again.

Taking it all in with renewed courage, she saw that the castle still seemed impossibly far away. She didn't let that trouble her; the castle could be closer than it seemed. She thought of the Wise Man then, but he was not on the marble throne this time. Looking every direction, Sarah couldn't choose which way she wanted to leave from. The hedge maze was so trying at times; she wondered she had managed such patience earlier. Sarah really didn't want to continue in this section anymore, it made her feel so isolated from the real world.

That's when she noticed the circular stairs; they cut into the rough stone floor and led to the sub-chambers of the labyrinth, but the darkness seemed so intimidating. Sarah wandered close to the gaping hole in the stone and became apprehensive. She really didn't want to continue through the maze, but the darkness seemed threatening.

Thinking hard on her decision, she wondered if the tunnels would prove to be a shortcut. It wouldn't surprise her if they led straight to the castle; she was certain few people would dare to venture through them. On the other hand, there was no way she could make a torch, and she really wasn't sure if there would be light below.

She decided to check for herself and walked cautiously down each step. She gripped her dress to keep the skirts away from her feet; she couldn't afford an accident now. As she neared the end of the stairs, Sarah noticed that the light from the stairway barely lit up the yawning abyss that stretched ahead. The corridor was nearly ten feet across, and an indiscernible length.

The only thing in sight was a tiny light. It had to be at least a mile away because it was only a pinprick in the dark void. There was nothing illuminating the dark stretch ahead. Sarah wondered if she would be able to handle absolute darkness. She thought over her options again, and decided to go for it. She knew Jareth could be a jerk, but she doubted he would let her get hurt in his labyrinth, especially because it seemed he had special plans for her.

Starting forward, her apprehension grew, but she pushed forward nonetheless. She figured that the light ahead was probably a torch, and once she got to it, she could use it to light her way. She was doing OK until twenty feet into the tunnel where she really couldn't really see anything anymore. She pressed her right side against the stone wall, and made sure not to step away. It was terrifying being so closed in by darkness, and the open space to her left made her nervous. If something crept up on her down here, she would be totally unprepared. The only warning she would get was an echo.

Her still wrapped up feet were barely making a sound on the dirt floor, but occasionally, they made contact with hard objects that crackled under her padded feet. She could only assume these somethings were bones, and every time she stepped on one it made her shudder involuntarily. She constantly fought her urge to run, because she knew that if she started to run she would only freak herself out. She put her thoughts elsewhere.

Sarah hadn't been down in the tunnel for long when she realized the toll the darkness was beginning to take on her. Her only comfort was the torch ahead, but it seemed far away. Still, she kept walking and tried her best not to feel too suppressed by the darkness, but rather to feel brave and adventurous as she once had. When something brushed past her, however, she couldn't help but let out a small didn't know what it was and she didn't want to find out.

She bolted and started sprinting towards the light. It felt like she was running forever, but after two minutes she had reached her safe haven. She was short of breath and panting, but felt somewhat safer. After a couple minutes catching her breath, she looked around. She couldn't see anything in the distance. It didn't matter though, because now she would have her own light.

She looked up at the torch then, a little surprised to find that it looked secured to the wall. She held her breath and reached up. Tugging on it, her fears were confirmed; it was attached to the wall.

"This is just great! I wander towards this stupid torch, only to find it's attached to the wall! I can't even keep going, there's no light ahead!" After a few minutes of angry shouting, Sarah angrily shoved at the stone wall.

Looking up at the torch once again, she decided she wasn't going to give up without a fight; she yanked on it for a good five minutes with all her fury. She needed this light! She frantically tugged on it, pulling it with all her weight. Finally it came loose and Sarah toppled to the ground. She got back up slowly; the fall had knocked the wind out of her. Taking a minute to regain composure, she dusted herself off and started down the tunnel.

The torch illuminated her way, but it also showed what the darkness had hidden: the scattered bones. She tried her best to focus on the path ahead and not speculate on what was lurking in the tunnels. Not once did she look behind her; she would hear anything headed her way before she saw it. After ten minutes of walking, Sarah found that she was coming to the end of the corridor. The torchlight spilled on the back wall; there were no turns or attached passageways. She pressed her free hand against every wall in disbelief; it was a dead end.

She was beyond angry. It was his fault somehow, she was sure of it. She kicked at the walls and cursed. The sound of her screams echoed down the corridor, but nothing changed. Eventually, she gave up and slid down to the ground. Setting her torch on the floor, she pulled her knees to her chest and cried into her arms. She was tired, hungry, and lost.

Suddenly the words of her reflection came back to her, 'If I were you, I'd just give in now.'

It almost seemed like a good idea, but she didn't know if she could live with herself knowing she had given in to him. She briefly considered her options. She could call Jareth now and end her suffering, or she could keep going and in all probability just get more lost. What did it matter anyway? She probably didn't even have enough time to win at this point. She closed her eyes and let the tears stream down her face. She actually kind of wanted Jareth there; she couldn't say why, but she still felt it. A wind eerily drifted down the stretch of hall. She could detect whispering voices, thousands of them calling out her name. She looked up but saw nothing. Picking her torch up, she got to her feet.

The scent of his magic filled the air; he was coming to her. 'Enough with the dramatics, already' she thought.

Then suddenly she knew her waiting was over; a shower of glitter descended upon her and a tall figure stood in its midst.

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Jareth had been sitting with Venetia for a few hours, but for some reason, the time was just gliding by. The conversation they shared was the most pleasant it had ever been. He was beginning to realize how much allure she really had.

He cheerfully asked her, "It's rather late in the afternoon Venetia, shall we have a little lunch?"

"Jareth! That sounds delightful!" She replied happily.

He immediately called on an elf servant and had their orders taken to the kitchen. Venetia looked pleased. When their food arrived, Jareth dug right in, but Venetia ate her food slowly. When they got to dessert, she was practically starting foreplay. She ate sensuously, and tried her best to capture Jareth's interest. It was working rather well; he was drawn to her like a moth to a flame, but she kept up the act, like it was some big game. Once they had finished eating, their places were cleared, and they went back to conversing. Venetia was slowly pulling him in. The charm she had used was affecting him; she knew it was only a matter of time before she had him wrapped around her finger. She made playful conversation with him, and he was responding to her nicely for a change.

"Why do you care about that juvenile mortal anyways?" She whispered in his ear. "She rejected you, that silly creature." She brushed a hair away from his face. "I would never reject the Goblin King…"

Her words lingered. Her sweet scent wrapped around him, and he had a wicked smile on his face.

"What are you offering, Venetia?" He purred.

"Simply that you take advantage of the willing woman before you and stop wasting your time on that silly little girl." She said, repositioning herself so that she was nearly in his lap.

A low predatory growl escaped his mouth. She had baited him, and now she intended on reeling him in. When a hurried goblin approached the King, he didn't bother to move away from Venetia. He wrapped his arm possessively around her.

"Sire! The girl is awake!" Said the tall goblin, practically falling over himself. "She has been for some time, but the goblin guard fell asleep!" He expected to be reproached, but the Goblin King was busy.

"Thank you, but Sarah is not a main concern right now…" he said hinting to the goblin that it was time for him to leave.

"Yes, Sire…" The goblin said in a shaky voice, before scampering away.

"Now. Where were we?" He said, turning his attention to Venetia.

He kissed gently at her neck, and she groaned softly. She really wanted him to desire her before he betrayed that little bitch. Playing her part, she pleaded.

"Please, your Majesty, take me now!"

He smiled wickedly, thoroughly pleased with himself. Instead of doing as she asked, he decided to have a little fun. He stood up, threw her over his shoulder, and carried her through the garden. She had not expected this.

"Jareth! Put me down this instant!" She protested, kicking and screaming.

"Oh, I don't think so, Venetia…" He said, smiling mischievously. "I want everyone to know you are coming to my bed with me, and I want them to think it's against your will…"

"What?!" She said, now quite startled.

She was screaming with anger. How dare he insult her in this way! She continued her futile battle, growing even louder once they reached the castle doors. When they entered the throne room, the goblins all started to laugh and snicker. They yelled obscene things and joined in forming a merry circle around their king and his victim; singing merry songs, and dancing around.

After a few minutes of this, the king broke the ring and headed down the hall. The goblins stayed in the throne room, but it seemed as if their laughs only grew louder as Venetia and Jareth neared the King's quarters. When he got to his chambers, he opened the door, crossed the room, and threw Venetia down on his black satin bed. He turned and shut the door magically, and then whipped around to face her.

He pulled off the leather jerkin he had been wearing, and untied his white poets shirt. A small section of his white muscled chest was showing, but Venetia suddenly felt uneasy about seeing the rest. She had a feeling she was not going to enjoy this. He stepped over to his bed and he saw the fear in her eyes, but this seemed to encourage him. He kissed her hard, and slid his arms under her body, then lifted her from the bed. He walked to the other side of the room, and Venetia became confused. Suddenly she became aware that he had his hand in her skirts, and she decided not to worry too much about where he was taking her.

They were in front of his giant tub now. It was set into the ground, which made it easy for Jareth. He walked right up to the edge of the tub with Venetia in his arms, and dropped her into the water. She splashed down with a big kerplunk, and water splattered around the tiled floor. She came up gasping for breath, and looked rather weighed down by the water in her skirts.

Her hands were in fists at her sides, and she looked ready to strangle him. Makeup ran down her face, and Jareth wouldn't have been surprised if steam had come from her ears.

"HOW DARE YOU!" She screeched. "I am a woman of the Seelie Court! I could have you hanged!"

"SILENCE WOMAN!" He roared in response. "You answer to me! Do not forget your position!"

She calmed down a little, remembering her rank, but still looked daggers at him.

He began again, "Your father would SO love to hear that his only daughter offered up her virtue..." She looked shocked. "And I'm sure other members of the Court would also love to know that you have been using this." He said, holding up the emerald amulet.

She gasped in response, and cringed. She knew the punishment for using such magic. Jareth suddenly felt a summons, and knew he had to leave.

"Don't think I will forget about this insult, Venetia. If I suspect you of using anything like this again, I will take you straight to the Seelie Court myself!" He said, angrily shaking the amulet.

A smile graced his face suddenly. "By the way, you might want to change your clothes and redo your face before Sarah arrives..." He said right before he transported himself away.

Venetia screamed, and smacked the water.


	8. Progress for progress' sake

_Ch.8) Progress for Progress' Sake_

Sarah held her torch securely, and Jareth stepped into the light. She instinctively backed up a few steps, right into the wall, right into the dead end. His presence dominated the space, making her feel trapped. Neither said a word; it was as though they were sizing each other up. Sarah tried not to gawk at him, but when she noticed that his shirt was unbuttoned, she couldn't stop herself from staring at his exposed chest. He noticed her appraisal, but didn't say anything; when he cleared his throat, she suddenly looked quite embarrassed and couldn't meet his eye.

"You called?" He asked in a husky voice. Sarah looked rather startled.

"No, I didn't!" She said with a large degree of surprise.

"You must have, because I felt your summons." He paused for a moment and grinned slyly. "It doesn't have to be a verbal wish to count."

"Oh, get over yourself!" She said, trying to push past him.

He wouldn't let her. "Why should I if you can't?"

She didn't say a word. They both knew that she'd been staring atrociously; somehow, Sarah felt she couldn't help herself. Even now, his proximity was having a strange effect on her. She felt connected to him; like they were old lovers. She moved to step away again and he didn't stop her.

After a lengthy pause Sarah retorted lamely with, "Maybe you should show some decency and keep your clothes on!"

He laughed a little and leaned his arm over her head against the wall. "Sorry, precious. I was taking care of some… important business when your summons reached me…"

Sliding out from under his gaze along the wall, she said, "What? You couldn't wait a whole 13 hours to change your clothes?" She snickered a little at her own joke.

"No, it was business of an entirely different nature, I assure you…" He said in a low growl.

She recognized that dangerous carnivorous tone; somehow she just knew what he'd been doing. Her triumphant smile disappeared; he noticed her change in emotion, and the smirk left his face.

"I see…" She said, looking on.

He looked at her with concern. "Sarah… What's wrong?"

It was strange; she felt almost like she could see the events herself. His bedroom flashed across her mind; she saw a girl in his arms. He stepped in towards her, but the sad look in her eye had vanished. Suddenly she had a hard look on her face, and she started to turn away from him.

"So, what exactly were you doing when I called?" She questioned suspiciously.

He looked unbothered and answered, "Dealing with Venetia."

Somewhere the name clicked, but she couldn't place it. She put the thought aside.

"Sorry if my summons took you from your playmate your Majesty." She said sarcastically. She was surprised to find herself jealous. Why was she fighting over his? She didn't even want him… Right?

"Sarah! That is not what I was doing!"

"Whatever, Jareth! It's not like I care anyways!" She said cooly, marching past him.

"You had better start caring Sarah, you are bonded to me. I am not going to tolerate this rebellious attitude of yours!"

"I don't care, just leave me alone!" She said, turning on her heel to scream at him.

"So you're not ready to give up yet?" He screamed back.

"Not on your ass!" She said, getting in his face.

"Fine!" He said, transporting himself to the throne room in a great flurry.

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He marched over to his throne with a grin on his face and took a seat. Chuckling a little to himself, he whispered under his breath, "That's my girl…" He suddenly remembered that Venetia was more than likely stalking around the place still, and called to one of his guards.

"Is Venetia still about?" He asked when one appeared.

"No yur Majesty, she's gone!" The guard said happily.

"Good, that will be all."

Jareth couldn't help but smile to himself. He only hoped that she was too angry to return tonight.

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Sarah was suddenly plunged into darkness. The sudden removal of light sent adrenaline surging through her body, making it difficult to keep her cool.

"Damn it, Jareth!" She cursed.

His voice filled the room. "Yes, precious?"

She jumped a little, but was hardly surprised that she was receiving a response. "You put my torch out!"

"Sorry Sarah, that's just how it goes. However, I will accept your defeat right now if you've changed your mind."

"I don't think so!" She said angrily, turning around to escape his voice.

She gasped a little, and stopped short. The stairway light was nowhere to be seen. This came as a shock and a great disappointment; she had nothing to guide her now. He started to chuckle, which only provoked her anger. She stormed down the tunnel away from the voice.

"You have three hours left to solve the labyrinth!" He called after her; she kept walking.

His laughter filled the hall and echoed past Sarah eerily. Moving close to the wall for support and comfort, she was almost glad that her time was almost up. She was trying her best to stay calm, but without a light even in the distance she felt hopeless. Seconds felt longer in the blind empty darkness and even after several minutes had passed, adrenaline continued to surge through her body.

She kept pressed against the wall, so when she finally came to an opening, she almost fell over. Once Sarah righted herself, she saw with relief that the light of a stairway was in the distance. She didn't know where it would lead, but she didn't care.

That's when the 'something' brushed past her again. This time she was sure she hadn't imagined it! Unable to contain her fear, she started sprinting towards the stairway. A low predatory growl accompanied the patter of something chasing after her. Sarah put all her effort into running, but it was gaining on her easily. The stairs were getting closer. She was almost there, but so was the something behind her. Sarah wasn't sure she was going to make it. The moment she reached the lighter section of the corridor, the growl disappeared. She kept running anyways. She fled the hall and ran up the stairs.

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Jareth was pacing in the infirmary, waiting for the Elvin healer, Ferehar. After a few minutes, a tall gray haired Elf appeared in the doorway. He was dressed in green garments fitting his high rank and had a calm but happy disposition about him. Jareth looked anxiously at the healer who suddenly grew concerned.

"You wished to see me your Majesty?" He asked.

"Ferehar, how much do you know about bonding?" Jareth was slightly embarrassed he was going to his healer for this, but Ferehar looked relieved.

"A great deal, Sire. Have you any questions about your newly formed bond with the Lady Sarah?"

"Yes. I need to know what actions would sever the bond."

"Have you intentions of breaking your bond with the lady?" Asked the Elf in shock, forgetting his place. Jareth didn't notice.

"No, that's the furthest thing from my mind. Venetia used a charm on me, and I kissed her." He said sadly.

"Was it a powerful charm?"

"Yes, I'd say a class three." He said pulling it out of his pocket.

The Elf looked shocked. It had been ages since he had seen such a powerful amulet. That type of magic had been illegal for centuries. The Elf pulled a set of glasses from his pocket, and slipped them on his face. He held out his hand. "I need to inspect it." Jareth willingly handed it over, and the healer turned it over in his hands.

"Was there any other… physical contact between yourself and the Lady Venetia?"

"No, just the kiss. I knew she was using it, but I thought I could resist. It was foolish to underestimate the power of the charm, but luckily Sarah summoned me."

"I doubt luck had much to do with it. Your bond may have given her the sensation that you were in danger."

"Maybe." He said, sighing.

The healer handed the amulet back to the King, "The bond will be weakened, but not broken. I highly advise that you try not to upset her when she arrives, the bond could be severed if you're not careful."

Jareth looked down at the emerald in his hand, and stuffed it in his pocket. "I understand. Thank you Ferehar."

The Elf bowed to the King and reentered his chambers.

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When Venetia transported herself to her family's estate, she was absolutely seething. As she marched up the stairs of her mansion's great-hall, leaving a trail of water behind her, she cursed Sarah's name and vowed to bring her eternal misery. All of her family members were looking on. She ignored them. Her mother was the only one willing to approach her. Lady Celestia was a fair woman, and looked very much like Venetia. The only difference was the lack of arrogance and glamour.

"What in the world happened to you?" Asked her mother, running over to inspect her daughter.

"Jareth dumped me into a bath tub!" She said, suddenly pretending to be upset.

Her mother gasped and hugged her daughter tightly; Venetia whimpered pathetically.

"We need to go see your father, he should know about this." Lady Celestia said, leading Venetia towards the study.

Lord Celestia was a dark man in all respects. His hair was slick and black and his brown eyes held malice. He was a strongly built man, and used to getting what he wanted. His wife and daughter walked down a deep hall and marched into his study; he looked up from his papers, and immediately stopped what he was doing.

"Venetia, what happened?" He asked with a measure of shock.

"Oh Daddy! Things went wrong with the amulet!" She cried.

"Wait, what amulet?" Intruded her mother.

"Adeena, please leave us." He stated simply, pointing to the door. His wife obeyed silently. As soon as her mother left the room, Venetia dropped the act; anger replaced her miserable façade.

"He found the amulet!" She cried angrily.

Her father didn't look worried. "He wouldn't dare take such an important family to court."

Venetia wasn't consoled by his words. "What will I do? He will be wary every time I see him. He will marry that bitch mortal of his!"

"Silence, daughter. Do not worry. Many members of his Kingdom will rise against Sarah; they will not want a human queen! We will plant seeds of doubt, and surely he will see his error."

Venetia smiled wickedly. The evil in Lord Celestia's eyes glimmered; they walked from the room together. Just down the hall stood Adeena pressed into a niche in the wall; she had heard everything.

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Jareth was once again watching Sarah in his crystal. He was satisfied with her progress. She was slowly beginning to accept her fate, and soon enough she would accept him as well. After a few moments of concentration on the floating orb, the silence was broken.

"Your Majesty," said a tall goblin guard, "There is a visitor here."

Before Jareth could even ask whom, a tall brown-haired fae with handsome features entered the doorway. Jareth's face twisted into a grin as he watched his friend walk across the room and kneel before the throne.

"No formalities are necessary in a friendship as old as ours." Said Jareth, as he stood up to greet his friend.

"I wish only to respect your title and authority, Jareth." He replied giving the King a hearty handshake.

"It is so good to see you Talon!" Jareth replied honestly. "But pray, what brings you unexpectedly to my kingdom? The last I heard from you, you were living aboveground."

"Aboveground quickly bored me, but I can account for my presence currently because I heard some interesting rumors, " He said, beginning to grin, "Is it true that you dumped Venetia in a bath tub?"

"Yes, that is absolutely true." He encouraged. "Now where did you come across that little piece of information?" Questioned Jareth with mock surprise on his face.

"My cousin returned home dripping wet, and crying to my aunt about you throwing her into a tub. I'll bet the servants all had a laugh or two about it, the wretched woman."

"Really… and how does the family Celestia feel about this insult?"

Talon was grinning through his teeth. "I cannot speak for the others, but for myself, I wish only to hear the hilarity of the situation. What kind of games do you play with women around here anyways, Jareth?" he teased.

The Goblin King chuckled a little. "Venetia tried to use a banned love charm on me, and it was starting to work; I had to get rid of her somehow…"

His friend laughed whole-heartedly. "We should discuss this in greater detail, friend."

"I agree. Shall we head to my study?" Jareth said, getting up.

"Certainly." Said Talon as they walked down one of the castle's many halls.

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Sarah was lying face down on the ground. She had tripped on her way up the stairs, and the dazzlingly bright light had immediately blinded her. She was still panting from her run and tried to regulate her breathing. It took her several minutes to adjust her eyes and calm down, but once she was ready, she sat up and tried to discern her whereabouts. The sight that greeted her made her groan. She was in the stone section of the labyrinth, which meant she had gone backwards instead of forwards. She lay back down, and disregarded the thought in her head: 'The way forward is often times the way back.'

After resting for a few moments, Sarah picked herself off of the ground, and looked at her gown. It was dirty, shredded, and a complete mess. She could only guess that she looked no better, and cringed at the thought of letting Jareth see her so run down. She started walking, just thankful to be in the daylight again. It was such a simple thing, something people took for granted… She disregarded that thought as well, and slowly made her way around segment after segment of wall. She knew she had very little time left, and trying to win was hopeless at this point, yet she felt proud of herself for not giving in to him.

'If he wants me as a wife, he has no idea what kind of "rebellious attitude" he is even up against!' She thought to herself, swearing to make his life hell.

Sarah tried to keep going, but she felt totally exhausted. She hadn't slept more than four hours in the rose garden, and all the walking had taken her energy up. She sat down for a little while, massaging her still covered feet. The bandages had held up nicely, but they were dirty, bloody, and ripped. She couldn't wait to have a bath and clean up, even if it was in the castle.

Sarah turned her head. She thought she'd heard a whisper. She listened for it again, and heard a faint pssssst…. coming from around the corner. Lifting herself off the ground, she creeped around the stone wall and saw a furry little goblin standing in the shadow. She didn't quite know how to respond.

"Hello?" She asked it, stepping closer. "Did you call me?"

The little goblin laughed nervously and nodded his head. "King doesn't want us to help, but I says to myself, 'Hey Tuke, what if the Lady Sarah wants water?' So here I am!" He held out a water skin to her, which she gladly accepted.

"Is that your name: Tuke?" He jumped up and down and nodded his furry head. "Do you want to help me with the labyrinth, Tuke?" She asked hopefully.

He suddenly looked uneasy. "Me can't help, me get in trouble!"

Before she could say another word, he had disappeared. She sighed unhappily; she could have really used some company. She was at least grateful for the water. It tasted so refreshing, and she even felt a little stronger and more hopeful. Setting off again, Sarah walked until she hit a dead end. When she turned around, a familiar room greeted her. Two bronze knockers were on the wall, one with a ring in its mouth, the other with a ring in its ears.

She approached the one on the left, and it said, "Knock, and the door will open."

She simply smiled, lifted the ring, and brought it down three times. The entrance lazily swung open, and Sarah stepped through the doorway.


	9. 13 Hours

_Ch.9) 13 Hours_

Throughout the castle, the laughter of two Fae men could be heard echoing around the halls. Jareth was in a great mood. Talon and him sat in the castle's comfortable study, with glasses of brandy, and big grins on their faces. Things could not get any better. They were talking of nothing particularly important; mostly they were reminiscing and doing some catching up.

Nearly two hours into their conversation, Talon had the misfortune of bringing up the topic of Sarah. Almost at the very mention of her name, Jareth pulled a crystal from the air, and held it mesmerized before him. They continued talking, but the Goblin King was unable to take his eyes from the crystal he held so closely. Suddenly a devilish grin lit upon Jareth's face.

"What are you smiling about, Jareth?" Asked Talon, becoming suddenly quite interested in the contents of the crystal.

"I find Sarah to be in a rather amusing situation…" He said darkly.

"Oh really?" Talon said, beginning to grin.

Jareth looked up momentarily, smiled at his friend, and threw the crystal into the air. As it delicately popped, the Goblin King disappeared from his seat. Talon was not startled in the least, but rather, amused. He chuckled to himself, and awaited his friend's return.

Talon was entirely curious about the mortal woman who had bewitched the Goblin King. It was obvious that Jareth was obsessed with her, and Talon had to wonder how she had done it. Never since the beginning of their friendship could he ever remember seeing Jareth so taken by a woman.

When he found out that Sarah was mortal, Talon couldn't help but be surprised. He had no problems with mortals unlike many of the Fae of the Underground, but the fact that Jareth had chosen a mortal when so many powerful Fae women were vying for attention spoke highly of Sarah's character. Now, after seeing his friend's response to the girl, he couldn't wait to meet her; he already found her incredibly fascinating.

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Sarah passed through the stone frame of the door. Even though she knew it was coming, she couldn't help but jump when the heavy wooden door slammed shut behind her. She nervously glanced around, and was startled to find herself in a cool dark forest.

"Damn! I can't believe both doorways lead to this forest!" She cursed.

She hoped the fireys weren't around, although they might be the least of her worries. This area of the woods were, if possible, scarier. No sunlight penetrated through the high canopy, and much of the vegetation was packed in so that she would have to fight her way through the bushes and trees. It was eerily dark, and completely silent. She noted to herself that almost every section of the labyrinth was quiet these days. She had seen no creatures besides Tuke, and had heard hardly any sounds.

Without a second thought, Sarah began to pick her way through the tangled undergrowth. Wearily, she treaded on, lifting her skirts and attempting to avoid the branches and thorns. Her dress was once again becoming a nuisance, and her progress slowed. After several minutes of fighting against the vegetation, her impatience grew, and her nerves were stretched to breaking point.

When she got caught on a large branch, her patience was already quite thin. She turned and grabbed at her dress, struggling to get free. One of her skirts would not come loose, but instead of trying to untangle it, she tugged at the fabric. In her frustration, she pulled too hard. With a large rip a section of fabric was torn away. Letting out an irritated scream, Sarah kicked the ground, screaming, "It's not fair!"

Right after the sentence had come from her mouth, she stopped dead. She was having a temper tantrum at the age of 21, and she had used the words she'd sworn to banish from her vocabulary, along with an extensive list of others. Out of seemingly nowhere a cold laugh echoed around her. She sighed, knowing full well that Jareth had come to taunt her once again. She felt him behind her, and an arm slid around her waist. She jumped a little.

"What's not fair, precious?" He whispered into her ear.

"Don't you have anything better to do than to come bother me?" She said, trying her best to get away from him; he held her tightly.

She felt very nervous being held so forcefully by him, and was desperate to get away. He seemed amused at her attempts, and pulled her closer.

"In fact," He said, leaning in so his breath was on her ear, "I can think of nothing better to do than to come bother you…" He said in a tone that she chose to ignore.

She was tired of his disregard for personal space. Reaching forward, she grabbed a tree branch and pulled herself away from his hold. Spinning on her heal to face him, he did what he was best at: he vanished. A very aggravated Sarah whirled around in every direction, expecting him to reappear at any moment. When he finally did reappear, she felt entirely provoked, but just took off running to avoid further frustration.

He let her go, and she sprinted through the thinning trees. The woods were becoming visibly lighter, and she could see a clearing up ahead. Her vision was blurred as tears formed from the bright light. Bursting through the tree line, Sarah was completely oblivious to her danger. She continued running, only to realize that she was approaching the edge of a treacherous cliff. She tried to stop, but her momentum was so high, that the only thing she could do to stop herself was to fall to the ground. The cliff's edge was still a few feet away, so there was no immediate danger, but the empty expanse was just a little too close for her liking.

Frantically scrabbling to get away from the edge, her strength failed her, and she crumpled on the ground. An arm immediately went about her waist and helped her up. She couldn't care less that it was Jareth standing there; she weakly wrapped her arms around his neck, and allowed him to help her. When they were a sufficient distance away from the edge, they collapsed on the ground together.

She was tired and weakened by all the physical exertion. They lay on the grass for several minutes; Jareth's arms were still around her. Once her adrenaline wore off, she was shaky, but began to see the awkwardness of the situation. She sat up, and was quickly on her feet, which made her waiver. He looked at her with concern, and stood up to support her.

She pushed him away, and spat, "Leave me alone! Do you have no regard for personal space?"

"Not for what is rightfully mine," He answered.

She looked at him with astonishment; was he really objectifying her like she was a possession? Instead of playing into his game, she simply asked, "How much time do I have left?"

"Sarah…" Jareth said wearily. She looked at him boldly and insisted:

"How much time?"

He looked quite cross with her. "You have one and a half hours left, pet."

"Well, I better keep going then."

She walked away from him disrespectfully. "Will you be defiant till the end?" He said, starting to feel worse for the wear.

She didn't look back, but answered "Why yes, your majesty, I certainly will be defiant. Remember? You have no power over me!"

He didn't bother to follow her any longer. He muttered to himself, "You will soon realize, Sarah Williams, that I have complete power over you," before vanishing to his castle.

Sarah was getting tired of this game. She almost expected him to appear before her to continue his taunting, but he didn't. He was definitely wearing down her defenses. She swore to continue this bitchy act; why would he want to marry someone who hated him? The more defiant she became, the more likely it was that he would send her home. Her thought process was halted. She had been walking along the edge of the gorge easily enough, but the ledge was narrowing now. The trees had conveniently grown thick again, and there was no way around. Sarah stood in the same spot for several minutes in a daze contemplating whether she ought to go into the woods or not.

She decided just to be extra careful and chance walking near the edge; it was only for 20 feet or so. Danger hardly registered to her anymore; she felt empty and blank. Her nerves were raw, and her thoughts hovered on the fact that if she failed, she would probably have to spend eternity with him. She made it across the dangerous ledge, but every step she took felt slower and heavier. She kept her focus on the ground so as not to trip over her own tired feet.

She didn't want to keep going if she was being completely honest with herself. She was exhausted in every possible way, and knew there was no escaping what was surely inevitable. She was going to lose. She only had an hour and a half left, and there was no end in sight. The only thought capable of moving her from the spot was the realization that Jareth was almost definitely watching her in one of his crystals. Deciding that she certainly wasn't going to admit defeat to Jareth, she continued. Sarah followed the edge of the gorge for some distance, but her strength was truly beginning to fail her. Her eyes looked to the horizon for a sign of hope.

Sarah spotted the castle off in the distance. It was still quite far away, and there was maybe an hour left of her time. She wondered what would happen first: her time expiring, her reaching the castle, or her fainting. She almost hoped that she would faint; it was a better option than facing Jareth and knowing that she had lost. After a few minutes, she really didn't think she could do it anymore. She sat down in the shade and leaned against a tree. All her muscles were pulsing and aching. Her head was pounding. She felt herself fading away, slowly slipping into oblivion.

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Talon didn't have to wait long for Jareth's return. When he reappeared in the study, he was staring daggers at the wall. Talon couldn't help but be shocked by his friend's change in mood. Jareth said nothing, but began pacing like a mad man. Talon looked concernedly at his friend, and thought about asking what happened, then thought better of it. He allowed his friend to blow off some steam, and after a few minutes, he cleared his throat loudly to get Jareth's attention. Jareth stopped suddenly and looked at his friend as though he had just realized Talon was sitting there. He frowned.

"This woman is driving me insane!" He said, shaking his arms for emphasis.

"What happened?" Talon asked calmly.

Jareth looked as though he didn't know where to begin. Walking around his desk, he took a seat before Talon. Almost immediately he got back up and started pacing, and then continued. "She refuses to do as she's told! She's completely defiant!" He shouted, with irritation.

Talon began to chuckle. Jareth didn't smile, but his frown deepened. "I fail to see how this is amusing." Jareth said, slightly offended.

"Sorry, Jareth. It's just that you have finally met your match." He continued to laugh. After a moment, Jareth lightened up, and began to laugh heartily with his friend.

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Sarah woke up suddenly. She didn't know why or how, but her body had roused her from her state of unconsciousness. She had to have been passed out for a while, for she felt slightly less tired, though she was just as sore as ever. Sarah knew she had very little time left. It didn't matter anymore. Using a nearby tree for support, she wearily began to stand up. It took her a moment or two, but eventually, she was on her feet again. Unbelievably, even to herself, there was still a flame burning deep within her. She felt that it was her goal to keep going, even if her time expired. She took it slow and step-by-step she made her way towards the castle looming in the distance. Thinking back on her trip, she had truly been resilient.

Things were harder this time, but she had kept going. Even at her lowest point she had somehow found the strength and courage to continue. She walked on and stumbled quite a bit, plus there was something of a limp in her walk. Her feet were covered in tattered bloody bandages, her dress was ripped to shreds and dirty, and her hair was a complete mess. She was certain she looked as awful as she felt, but kept walking. Suddenly the ground began to quake beneath her, and she fell to the ground. Almost as though it were coming from the depths of the earth, a thundering chime sounded through the air. With that one sound of judgment, she knew it was over, and she had lost.

To her torment, she had to wait out the full thirteen chimes before anything happened. The ground shook with every resounding ring, and on the very last one, she spotted a crystal hovering over the gorge and heading her way. Crawling on hands and knees to avoid it, her attempts were in vain. It expanded, caught up with her, and swallowed her whole.

She tumbled to the crystalline ground, and quickly collected her skirts. Pulling her knees to her chest, she sat back and looked out over the land. She felt like she was in Willy Wonka's glass elevator. The bubble was rather high in the air, and she couldn't help but notice with apprehension that it was taking the most direct route over the gorge.

She didn't have long to enjoy the view, for the crystal traveled quite quickly, and within moments it was hovering before the gates of the Goblin City. It lowered to the ground, and before Sarah could prepare herself, it burst like a bubble. Tumbling to the ground, Sarah cursed under her breath; she was tired of being thrown around. Getting up slowly, she saw that she was in the entrance of the city, and the only way to go on was through the massive gates. Walking towards the open doors, she was startled to find that unlike the last time, the streets were not deserted. Goblins were packed into rows, watching her every move. She briefly considered running in the opposite direction, but thought better of it. They were deathly silent and staring at her with blank expressions. She couldn't help but wonder if it would be a repeat of the last time and she would have to fight her way to the castle. She advanced towards the gates, and as soon as she had crossed over the thresh hold into the city, the goblins began to shout and cheer in celebration.

She was definitely confused now. She looked around warily, but they didn't seem to notice. Banners were unfurled, confetti was thrown, and noise compressed her from every side. She stepped forward, and the crowd willingly parted for her. A path towards the castle formed, and she apprehensively started forward. After a moment or two of walking, Sarah's mood lightened; the goblins' laughter and merrymaking somehow put her at ease. They were actually kind of funny to watch, and Sarah couldn't help but giggle.

There were many things that Sarah noticed on her walk. For one, the town seemed very different from the last time. The houses were less shabby, and seemed to sparkle with charm. Second, the goblins all seemed to be glowing with pride, and exuberantly happy that she was there. Because of this, Sarah wasn't progressing very quickly. The goblins all wanted to talk to her and congratulate her, but for what reason, she couldn't figure out. It seemed strange to be thus greeted by the goblins, but it made her feel a lot more welcome than anything Jareth had done.

When a young goblin came running up to her holding a chicken, she felt rather confused. At his insistence, she accepted it as a gift from his family, though she had no idea what to do with it. It flapped and fluttered and tried to get away, but after a moment or two, she had managed to tame it, and placed it under her arm. Continuing on her way, every so often she would be presented with a gift.

Passing by a brewery that she hadn't noticed before, a tall older looking goblin approached her with a mug of ale. She accepted it gratefully; she was rather parched. It was fairly bitter tasting, so she took meager sips from it and once again continued. Several more goblins approached her with gifts, and she felt obligated to accept them. Some things she actually felt guilty accepting, for they seemed expensive to her. One of the last goblins to approach her was one that she recognized.

Little Tuke had made his way to the front of the crowd, and presented her with a bundle wrapped in fine silk. Unwrapping it on the spot, she found a beautifully crafted wooden comb and matching mirror inside. She gasped and couldn't help but caress the delicately inlaid metal. It was a fine thing indeed. She knew that there was no use arguing, however, the goblins all insisted she take their presents.

Towards the end of town, Sarah was having a difficult time holding on to all of her gifts. A shopkeeper approached her and presented her with what could only be compared to a satchel. Placing most of her things inside it, she still had to keep hold of the chicken. Slowly, but surely she made her way towards the castle, until she was on the front steps. She made her way towards the door, chicken and all, and entered the cool walls of the castle.

She was rather nervous now. She was getting close to him, and she didn't know what to expect. Starting down the hallway that would lead her to the throne room, she was glad that there were still goblins packed in around her, and they were still laughing and celebrating. Upon reaching the throne room, applause and cheering broke out, and she saw Jareth sitting on his throne with a big cocky grin on his face. She set her satchel down on the ground, but held the chicken, there was no telling what havoc it would wreak on the room. Jareth allowed the din to continue. Sarah couldn't help but notice how he was dressed.

He was wearing his typical black boots, black breaches, and a black poet's shirt, which exposed part of his chest. She had to admit that he looked pretty damn sexy, but did her best to block out the thought. She also noticed the tall attractive man by his side, he was wearing brown breaches and boots, and a green tunic; she wondered who he was. Sarah couldn't help but glower at Jareth; it was evident that he was enjoying this. Talon looked amused by the exchange. After a moment, Jareth raised his hand, and all the goblins quieted.

"Welcome Sarah, and congratulations." He stated simply.

She still didn't understand. She couldn't keep the contempt from her voice. "Congratulations? For what? I lost!"

"You are now a subject of the labyrinth, and it is now known in my kingdom that you are also my fiancé. Soon enough it will be known throughout the entire Underground." He said as though it were completely obvious.

She didn't even know how to respond. Words were currently escaping her. All the rage and the fury inside her had built up. After all he had done, all that he had put her through, and this was just too much. Talon looked nervous, Jareth eagerly awaited her response.

"You ASSHOLE!" She screamed, throwing the chicken at his face and turning to march out of the room. It had come in handy after all.

She stormed down the long hall, and made her way for the door. No one got in her way; the goblins had all run away to their nooks and crannies, afraid of their King's response. She was almost out. When she was feet away from the door, it slammed shut in front of her. She approached it anyways, and began tugging on the wooden latch. It wouldn't budge. She groaned furiously, and then she felt his presence a ways behind her. She whipped around, not wanting him to creep up on her. He was leaning on a wall not far away, tapping his riding crop against his boot and staring at her wickedly.

"And where do you think you're going?" He said in a dangerously seductive tone.

"Hmmm… Well let's see, anywhere that you aren't!" She said, shouting at him.

"Sorry, pet, this is your home now." He said, pushing himself from the wall and making his way towards her.

"I never agreed to that! Let me go home!" She said angrily.

"Even if I was willing to meet that request, that is no longer possible for you." He challenged. He saw the confused look in her eyes, and continued, "Sarah, do you recall how long your visit lasted the when you last came to the Underground?"

She truly didn't remember and had no response, so he continued, "Last time you were here, your journey took you just over 10 hours. You are a mortal, and when I said, 13 hours before you're one of us forever, it was quite a literal statement; after 13 hours, a transformation begins to take place that makes you more or less half fae. You can return to your world of course, but not for extended periods of time."

She looked at him in disbelief. If this was true then she was defeated, and there was no going home for her. Even with the thought of possibly losing, she had assumed that he had the power to send her home. She just couldn't fathom it; it wasn't sinking in. All of her confusion and anger collected into one thought: this is Jareth's fault.

He seemed to have caught on to her temper, and before she could even act on the thought, he caught both of her arms, causing her to glare at him. She had never felt so enraged by another person in all her life. She wanted to hurt him badly. He had both of her arms, but before she could even try to use her legs, he roughly slammed her against the wall. His body pinned her to the wall, and their eyes locked. He jerked her wrists above her head violently, and she gasped. She could barely move, and her breathing was becoming erratic. He hovered above her threateningly.

"And here I thought you'd learned your lesson." He breathed into her ear.

She involuntarily shivered against him. He brought his face in front of hers; he was so close that his lips were brushing hers. She tried to push him away, but failed miserably. He chuckled at her attempt.

"With all the hitting and slapping, I think I've taken the entirely wrong approach… If you wanted to play rough Sarah, all you had to do was ask…" He said, pushing forward, and kissing her forcefully.

Although she would never admit how much she was enjoying it, he seemed to catch on. He moved seamlessly down to her throat, and she knew she was in trouble. Passionately sucking and biting at her soft skin, she groaned a little, and he became encouraged. She felt him against her thigh, and excitement began to build. She allowed her body to direct her instead of her mind, and pressed against him. The world wavered; there was no more wall behind her, but Jareth's arms prevented her from toppling over. Sarah realized then that he had transported them to his private chambers. That was enough to stop her cold.

She pushed away from his chest, and gained some space. This is not what she wanted. He looked at her with confusion and pulled her into him once again. She fought against him and then Jareth realized what she was telling him. He stopped forcing it, but felt Sarah wilting against him. Weakness was overtaking her, and her knees started to give out. Jareth felt it, and held her tightly. He pulled away slightly with concern, but Sarah had already fainted. She collapsed in his arms, oblivious to the worries that would face her when she awoke.


End file.
